It is a near guarantee that Jude Bellingham will pack his bags and leave Borussia Dortmund this summer. To what club? No one knows…
According to The Athletic the German club value the 19-year
old at about 150m which would make Bellingham the most expensive transfer
export from the Bundesliga displacing former BVB players Ousmane Dembele (€140m)
and Jadon Sancho (€85m).
A fee that would seemingly take the money tight Liverpool
out of contention and place Real Madrid as the most likely destination.
But before this summer's transfer window Bellingham and Dortmund have much more immediate concerns to attend to.
Hopes of lifting the Meisterschale have been relit following the continuation of Thomas Tuchel’s rocky start in Munich as Bayern suffered a shock 3-1 loss to Mainz three weeks after they beat Dortmund 4-2 in what was deemed a title decider.
Since his arrival at Dortmund in 2020 he has been an integral part of the squad and has flourished into a vocal leader which has not gone unnoticed by the managerial staff. Coach Edin Terzic named the Englishman third in line to the captaincy and he later wore the armband in a 3-2 defeat to Cologne in October.
His personal performances have also bettered and become more
consistent along the way. The No.22 who is capable of playing in the six has
enjoyed a more productive role in the eight this season.
He shines with confidence often playing his way out of tight
spaces with short intricate passes helped by his ability to receive and
progress play under pressure.
In the final third he finds the most joy netting 12 goals
for club and country this season most recently scoring against Eintracht
Frankfurt last Saturday to push Dortmund back to first place. A sequence which
saw Bellingham receive a pass with his back towards goal but in one motion spin onto his right foot and slot into the
bottom corner.
The return of Karim Adeyemi from injury and the reintroduction of Donyell Malen has especially aided Bellingham as the wingers prefer to stay wide which gives the midfielder space to work in the half spaces. In comparison Marco Reus who often likes to operate in the inside channels limits the space for Bellingham to attack.
Despite playing an advanced role for club and country this
season he is also a key player on the defensive side of the ball often pushing
into a high press with his tireless engine.
Bellingham on potentially winning the Bundesliga said: “To
be honest it would mean everything, it would mean the world to me. I’ll love
more than anything at the moment to win the league with this club after
everything it’s given me.”
If Dortmund tip Bayern to the title for the first time since
2010-11 Bellingham’s input will hold much more importance than any transfer fee
could guarantee.
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