Borussia Dortmund are set to offer English wonderkid Jude Bellingham a new contract, which will deal a blow to any club intending to sign the 17-year-old.
Bellingham has adapted to life in Germany superbly after his move from Birmingham City last summer, earning himself a call-up to the England squad for Euro 2020.
The teenager is reportedly a target for a number of clubs, with Manchester United, Manchester City, Chelsea and Liverpool keeping tabs on the Dortmund youngster.
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However, according to German outlet Bild, BVB are looking to offer Bellingham a new contract after he turns 18 later this month.
Bellingham signed a three-year contract after signing for around £25million from Birmingham, with the German club expecting to extend that deal by another two years.
The 17-year-old made 46 appearances in all competitions this season, scoring four goals.
The midfielder’s teammate Erling Haaland is the subject of constant transfer speculation, and a move to Chelsea could be on the cards for the Norwegian this summer.
According to the Telegraph, Chelsea have moved to the top of Haaland’s wish list after their Champions League triumph.
They want him and he wants them. Such is the desire of both, they may well wait until next summer for a transfer that will not cost £150m and there is a possibility that a deal will be arranged in January, Christian Pulisic-style.
Former Crystal Palace chairman Simon Jordan thinks the reported pursuit of Erling Haaland, amid Chelsea interest, is “a vulgar spend of money”.
Jordan told talkSPORT: “When you’re talking about players being bought for £60m, £70m or £80m – aren’t we already pushing the envelope?”
“When we start to move into the territory of a quarter of a billion pounds, or the best part of 20 per cent of a billion – you’re moving into a territory that is ludicrous.
“It’s ridiculous, and that’s before the idea that he’s going to get £25m, £26m or £27m-a-year.
“It’s not because I’m a football club owner who’s had his head handed to him economically, but because it’s something fundamentally wrong with these numbers.
“They’re not justified, these are football players that are operating in an industry that isn’t awash with money, it isn’t justifying it.
“He’s not like a movie star who carries £150m for a studio. Most football clubs are economically on the cusp of not making money. They may have some capital value if one day someone comes along and spends £3bn on x, y and z – which has has never yet happened, by the way.
“For me, it just feels like it defies logic, it defies sense and there’s no justification behind it.”
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