Chelsea have received official confirmation that they will face tough competition to sign England star Jude Bellingham. The 19-year-old is one of the most in-demand players in world football and continues to demonstrate his skill on the elite stage having stood out for Gareth Southgate's side in Qatar.
He has spent two years in Germany already since leaving Birmingham City to join Borussia Dortmund for over £20million as a 17-year-old, but may well be on the move again in 2023 as a host of Europes top clubs all line up to try and sign him. The Blues are in that group and see Bellingham as the centrepiece of their rebuild under Graham Potter.
The issue for Todd Boehly will be convincing Bellingham to move to Stamford Bridge with European champions Real Madrid and Liverpool among the front-runners for his signature.
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A new club has entered the fray though, and Paris Saint-Germain chairman Nasser Al Khelaifi publicly admitted that his side would be throwing their name into the hat too. Speaking in Qatar - Al Khelaifi is part of the Qatari state ownership group that fund the French side - he was full of praise for Bellingham, saying, "Amazing player, honestly what a player. England are lucky to have him. He's one of the best players at the tournament. It's his first World Cup, he's calm, relaxed, confident. Amazing."
They are the same skills that have made him such an attractive prospect for so many sides, and it's what will draw bids of over £100m for him next year. Boehly and Chelsea are expected to be in the group that pushes hard for him, but Al Khelaifi has admitted that PSG will be in the mix too.
"Listen everyone wants him, I'm not going to hide it," he explained. "But I have respect and he has his club, we won't talk to him, we'll talk to the club first."
First on the agenda for Chelsea will be getting Champions League football secured for next season, that will be a big draw for any club that wants to splash their cash on one of the shining stars of the game, but after that they will be on the highest table of the European elite, and playing their cards against some of the wealthiest clubs around.
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