Jude Bellingham looks set to move to Borussia Dortmund when the summer transfer window opens, reports say.
The Birmingham prodigy, who has played 34 games this season at the age of 16, has been touted as a big helping hand since taking center stage at St Andrew’s.
Manchester United are rumored to be considering a £ 50m deal during the January transfer window, while interests in Chelsea and Liverpool have also been reported.
However, it looks like Bellingham will be moving overseas this summer with Borussia Dortmund “to get him to sign their record”.
Sport Bild says BVB is closing in on Bellingham’s £ 31m (35m) signing, which surpasses the previous record German transfer from Mats Hummels, who returned to Westfalenstadion from Bayern Munich last summer for £ 27 million (€ 31 million).
Dortmund, the report adds, is “way ahead” for Bellingham despite the interest of Premier League giants Man United, Chelsea and Liverpool.
Bellingham is surely tempted by Dortmund given his excellent track record of developing young players into elite stars.
Jadon Sancho is the obvious example, as he has become one of the best strikers in Europe since he left the Man City academy for Germany in 2017.
Erling Haaland joined BVB in January and continued his remarkable scoring form, while 17-year-old American midfielder Giovanni Reyna – who is eligible to play for the Three Lions since he was born in England while his father, Claudio , played for Sunderland – also catches the eye.
Although he has already made 34 appearances this campaign, Bellingham is expected to be rested by Birmingham over the next few weeks.
Head coach Pep Clotet says the teenager becomes “tired” in his first professional season with a spell used to make sure he doesn’t run out.