Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola was running out of words to praise Borussia Dortmund midfielder Jude Bellingham, ahead of the two sides’ Champions League showdown. The 19-year-old is wrecking havoc against his opponents, putting up some stellar performances for Dortmund. As a result, he has made himself the hottest prospect across Europe and no surprise there’s going to be a fiercely fought battle for his signature next summer.
And many have tipped City’s arch rivals Liverpool as the early leaders in the race to land Bellingham. The Reds are in dire need of midfield reinforcements as a lack of proper depth in that department has already done them massive damage this season. Liverpool are currently sitting 8th in the league, 12 points behind leaders Arsenal and 10 adrift of defending champions Manchester City. Their title hopes are all but over, but concerns are now being raised over their chances of finishing in the top-four.
Pep Guardiola teases City interest in Bellingham
With Manchester City gearing up to take on Bellingham’s Dortmund in their all important Champions League showdown, Pep Guardiola couldn’t help but lavish praise on the young midfielder. Bellingham was on target in the reverse fixture at Etihad as he opened the scoring for the visitors in the 56th minute to give them a shock lead. While his former teammate Erling Haaland did steal the headlines by turning the game on its head with two goals in four minutes in the closing stages, Bellingham was the standout performer on the night.
Many even touted it as his Etihad audition as City too have been tipped with a move for the teenager. However, Liverpool reportedly hold the lead here as they are planning to overhaul their midfield next summer. With the likes of Jordan Henderson, Thiago Alcantara, James Milner well above their 30s, and Fabinho who will turn 30 next year, Liverpool want Bellingham to lead their midfield into the new era. But City could gatecrash their plans as Guardiola too is eyeing the former Birmingham player for a transfer. Meanwhile, the Spaniard in his pre-match presser ahead of the Dortmund game spoke of Bellingham:
“I think Borussia Dortmund is the perfect place for young talent to come. Maybe if he [Jude Bellingham] went to a top Premier League club, he wouldn’t have got the minutes. The best thing for young players is to play minutes.
“It’s not just about the quality, it’s about how he was leading and kicking and going to the referee, this guy is something special and has the mentality. He already is one of the captains [at Dortmund], the whole package is really good. He’s already in the national team for England at 19-years-old, we know the quality he has. We will try to impose our game and win the game.”