Chelsea to rival Liverpool and Manchester United in race to sign England superstar - Reports
Chelsea are set to enter the battle for Manchester United and Liverpool target Jude Bellingham. The Blues are keen to bolster their midfield and see the Borussia Dortmund star as the perfect fit.
As per a report in The Sun, Chelsea have set their sights on signing Bellingham next summer. Graham Potter's side are working on building a team for the future and want the Englishman to join them.
"Exceptional player - everyone knows it."
Pep Guardiola on Jude Bellingham! 🏴🔥 https://t.co/WyGeNit3B5
Jorginho and N'Golo Kante have their contracts expiring at the end of the season and are yet to pen new deals. Their situation is similar to Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen, who left the club for free this summer to join Real Madrid and Barcelona, respectively.
However, Chelsea are not going to have a free run at the midfielder as Manchester United and Liverpool are also keeping tabs on him. Real Madrid are also said to be keen on making a move next summer.
“I’m having Bellingham all day!”
“We’ve seen his maturity and he’s still 19! Bellingham & Rice are the future.”
“I’m not sure I’d build a national team around him but he’s definitely in it!”
Ally McCoist loved what he saw from Jude Bellingham vs #MCFC. https://t.co/7mI3cIYPkb
Gareth Southgate praises Chelsea and Liverpool target
Gareth Southgate has been full of praise for Jude Bellingham and has claimed that the midfielder is doing extremely well. However, he hinted that the time has come for the Englishman to switch from the Bundesliga.
Southgate was quoted by Football London as saying:
"The league [Bundesliga] is definitely a brilliant league for young players and coaches to develop but of course the Premier League is undoubtedly higher, I think we see that in the European competitions.
"Our top teams are going to be right at the end of the Champions League every year, the financial power of our league is blowing everyone else out of the water so our big teams are going to be the main players in those competitions as they have been in the last years, really. We've talked to him about his game this week."
He added:
"There are things, understandably for any player, for him to work on and for him some specifics we are looking for from him. But he is very coachable, wants to learn and is highly motivated.
"He is already getting brilliant experiences with club and European football already so he'll be involved in the game and it will be good to see how he does. He is developing exceptionally well for a player of his age. He is being asked to play in a number of different positions this year."
The midfielder has scored twice in two Champions League games this season.