Pep Guardiola has warned Jude Bellingham that he could risk stunting his development if he made a move to the Premier League.
Bellingham is widely regarded as one of the best midfielders in the world, despite being just 19 years old.
He has starred for Borussia Dortmund over the past three seasons and is even now part of the leadership group at the Bundesliga side.
But with just two years left on his contract, the England international is expected to leave Signal Iduna Park in next summer's transfer window. He will not be short of suitors, with Liverpool, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich all thought to be admirers of him.
The midfielder has already turned down Manchester United earlier in his career, instead opting to join Dortmund from Birmingham City in 2020. And Guardiola believes that the best place for him is with the Black and Yellow, where he will continue to be a star player.
“I think Dortmund is a perfect place for young talented players to come. Maybe if Jude Bellingham was in England he would go to City, United, Liverpool, Chelsea, Arsenal or Tottenham, maybe he would not get the minutes," the City boss said.
"The best way for a young player to get better is to play minutes. He was 17 when he arrived but it was not just about his quality, how he was leading, his kicking, going to the referee.
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"This guy was something special in terms of his mentality. Now he is 19 and he is already one of the captains. The quality, everybody knows it. It's not just about the goals, the whole package is really good. He’s already playing for England at 19. We know the quality he has.”
Dortmund face City on Tuesday night in the Champions League, having smashed Stuttgart on Saturday. Bellingham scored two of his side's five goals at Signal Iduna Park, with boss Edin Terzić under no illusions about the talent at his disposal.
“Borussia Dortmund is well known for offering young talents the platform to play at the highest level. I think Jude is the oldest 19-year-old I’ve ever seen. He’s great on and off the pitch. We are really happy with him. It’s a win-win situation," Terzic said.
“Not only do we benefit from him, but Dortmund is also the right step for him in his development. Jude will have a big impact, not only tomorrow and for the rest of the season, but also with the England national team in the next few years.
“This season, Jude has a slightly different role within the team. He’s more attacking, he’s entering the opposition box many times. He already scored eight goals for us this season. This is the next step that we talked about with him before the season.
“We’re very happy that he is performing this way, but we know his development is not finished yet and we are here to support him and to find his limits.”
