Are Man Utd favourites to sign Jude Bellingham as Liverpool & Chelsea toil? Louis Saha assesses midfielder’s transfer options

• Teenager starring for Dortmund
• Wanted by Premier League giants
• Real Madrid also in the mix

WHAT HAPPENED? The Red Devils have long been admirers of the England international midfielder, with efforts made to acquire his obvious potential when the teenager left Birmingham for Borussia Dortmund. United are now back in the hunt for Bellingham’s signature, alongside most of Europe’s top clubs, and Saha admits that top-four failings of Premier League rivals could end up working in favour of those at Old Trafford.

WHAT THEY SAID: The former United striker, speaking in association with Paddy Power, has told GOAL: “I hope getting into the top four is enough for Manchester United to sign Jude Bellingham. Any player who knows the Premier League, and is attracted to the Premier League, will surely be looking at Manchester United because of the way they play. Also, the manager is synced with the players and there’s clearly a good foundation for young players. We’ve seen it with Alejandro Garnacho, and even Marcus Rashford who we can still call a young player, the foundation is there for them to play. All that is really reassuring for such a talent. Jude Bellingham will be looking for greatness and Manchester United can provide that. They will be in the Champions League next year.”

THE BIGGER PICTURE: Real Madrid are another global superpower said to be keen on Bellingham, with Saha adding when asked if United remain a big enough draw to fend off rival interest from the current holders of the Champions League crown: “Manchester United are a big enough draw for Bellingham because they're playing quality football. Jude Bellingham is English and I'm sure would be proud to play for such a big club. Real Madrid have invested in Aurelien Tchouameni and Eduardo Camavinga so they’ve got players in that position including Luka Modric. It's a different situation and a different environment at Real Madrid but it’s still a big challenge. He [Bellingham] is being chased by the biggest clubs in the world so it’s his own decision. A player of Bellingham’s quality would be a perfect match for Manchester United. People have been linking him with Liverpool and I understand that, but they’ve got problems at the moment, the same with Chelsea.”

IN THREE PHOTOS:

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WHAT NEXT? Whoever makes a move for Bellingham is going to have quite a fight on their hands, with Dortmund understandably reluctant to part with the youngster after tying him to a contract though to 2025, and it is likely that a nine-figure sum will be required in order to tempt BVB into transfer negotiations.