Real Madrid, Liverpool and Man Utd interested – Will Jude Bellingham leave Dortmund in 2023?

Valued at €110m  

Borussia Dortmund midfielder Jude Bellingham may not be the best player in the world just yet, but he’s certainly one of the most popular. Like Christian Pulisic, Jadon Sancho and Erling Haaland before him, the Bundesliga talent has lit up German football with ease and is now the subject of reported interest from just about every major club in European football. 

The rumour mill could pluck speculative links from just about any club in the top five leagues, but the clubs that seem to be leading the race according to reports in German and England are Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United and Real Madrid. With the Spanish giants reportedly going as far as to arrange a meeting with Bellingham’s father and agent prior to Dortmund’s recent Champions League clash with Chelsea. 

However, speculation is one thing and spending money on signing a future world class player is another thing entirely. And it remains to be seen whether any of the aforementioned clubs could accommodate Bellingham in their starting XIs, let alone in their transfer budgets. So which club looks most likely to sign the Dortmund midfielder or could Bellingham perhaps stay in Germany for longer than expected? 

Much of the speculation around Bellingham has revolved around which club he’ll end up joining, but far less attention has been paid to whether the England international actually wants to leave Dortmund this year. And, according to one former star of the German club, there’s still every chance that Bellingham will stay put in the Bundesliga for another season. “I think what he [Bellingham] has done for Borussia Dortmund has been incredible,” notes former Dortmund and Scotland midfielder Paul Lambert at a press conference that Transfermarkt took part in. “I think he’ll get better, and if you can keep his feet on the ground and keep humble, then he can do anything he wants to.” 

When asked if he thought Bellingham could stay at the club beyond the summer of 2023, Lambert said: “Would I like him to stay at Dortmund? Absolutely. I think the club has been great for him. I think he’s been great for the club. and if he can get a Bundesliga title I think that will be a great honour for him. He’s only 19 and I would like to see him spend a long time there, but in the modern game anything can happen. But I think for Jude it’s important that he wins a title while he’s still there.”

While transfer fees are often dictated by the age-old rules of supply and demand, there’s little doubt that Bellingham will fetch Dortmund a fee that could break multiple transfer records in Germany and across Europe. And that’s clear for all to see when we look at the player’s current market value, the going rate for players of his calibre and his situation at Dortmund at this moment in time. 

For example, over the course of the past 12 months, Bellingham’s market value has shot up €30 million, where it now stands at €110m. This makes the Dortmund midfielder the fourth most valuable player in the world, the most valuable midfielder in the world and the most valuable player in the Bundesliga. So, in no uncertain terms, his German club will be able to demand a handsome fee for his services. 

With a contract at Dortmund that runs until 2025, Bellingham’s club are under no obligation to sell the player and can therefore name their price for his services in the transfer market. Which means if the likes of Madrid, Man Utd or Man City come calling this summer they will likely have to pay a similar fee to the highest rate ever paid for a central midfielder. Which is currently the €121m fee Chelsea paid for former Benfica talent Enzo Fernández. And there’s a good chance Bellingham may go for even more. 

Homepage