Borussia Dortmund boss Edin Terzic urges Jude Bellingham to turn down Premier League transfer amid Liverpool & Man Utd links

• Midfielder moved to Germany in 2020
• Linked with return to his homeland
• BVB reluctant to part with teenager

WHAT HAPPENED? Speculation continues to suggest that the England international midfielder is being lined up as a big-money transfer target for the likes of Manchester United and Liverpool. Bellingham will have spent three years in Germany by the time the current campaign comes to a close but, with Dortmund in the Bundesliga title hunt, Terzic believes the 19-year-old’s ambitions can still be fulfilled in Germany.

WHAT THEY SAID: Terzic told reporters ahead of the second leg of his side's Champions League last-16 encounter with Chelsea when asked about the rumours that Bellingham continues to generate: “Look, with all the respect for Jude and his performance, we have been answering this question since he joined. He chose to join us because he knows this can be the perfect step for him and I think we’ve proven it both ways. He’s helping us a lot but I also think that we as a club on that stage are helping him and his career as well.

“We’re really happy and delighted that he is part of our team, he’s one of our leaders at the age of 19, he stepped through to the English national team as a player of BVB and this is something we’re really happy with. But we also know we need a good performance from him tomorrow to get to the next stage. This is something that is going to be a topic for his future but our future now is that we’re going to face a really good opponent tomorrow in Chelsea FC and so we need him in a good way.”

THE BIGGER PICTURE: Dortmund’s resolve will be tested if formal offers are tabled in the summer of 2023, with Emre Can another of those to admit that Bellingham faces some big decisions on his future. The former Liverpool star, who is now a team-mate of the talented teenager in Germany, has said: “Everyone knows his potential. He’s a world-class talent. It’s difficult to know what’s best for him and that’s something he and his family have to decide.”

IN THREE PHOTOS:

Getty

Getty/GOAL

Getty Images

WHAT NEXT? Bellingham, who starred for England at the 2022 World Cup finals in Qatar, has taken on the captain’s armband at times for Dortmund this season and broken into double figures for the first time in his club career when it comes to goals scored in any given campaign.