Rio Ferdinand has predicted who Jude Bellingham will sign for next summer amid reports linking him with a £130m move away from Borussia Dortmund.
The 19-year-old’s rise to prominence in such a short space of time as been extraordinary.
Bellingham left his boyhood club Birmingham City to join Dortmund a couple of years ago.
Since then, the teenager has established himself as one of the best young players in Europe and he is now making a great impact for England at his first World Cup.
Bellingham has stepped up to be a leader for Dortmund this season and he has even captained the Bundesliga side on several occasions.
It is expected to be a hectic few months for the centre-midfielder as he is likely to leave Dortmund next year.
Dortmund are said to rate him at £130m but this asking price may rise even further if he continues to shine for club and country.
Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher is aware that his former club will be ‘feeling anxious’ about a potential ‘auction’ for Bellingham.
‘Bellingham has the potential to do what none of them did because he has already become a World Cup star and it is inconceivable he will not be winning domestic titles and competing for the Champions League for the next 10 years,’ Carragher wrote for The Telegraph.
‘There will be only three people in the world watching Bellingham in Qatar and feeling anxious – Florentino Pérez, Sheikh Mansour and JW Henry.
‘The owners of Real Madrid, Manchester City and Liverpool know they will be involved in an auction to get him.
‘We are watching the career of a freakishly good talent unfolding. It is frightening how good Bellingham is.
‘If you were to build the prototype modern midfielder, he would be it.
‘He has the physique and athleticism of a 27-year-old Gerrard, and has all the attributes you want in a footballer – tackling, passing, assisting and scoring.’
It is well-known that Liverpool love Bellingham and it is their priority to sign him as they overhaul their midfield. A second signing in the middle of the pitch is likely needed with Naby Keita, James Milner and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain all out of contract in 2023.
But Liverpool face competition from the likes of Real Madrid and Manchester City for Bellingham.
Ferdinand expects Man City to win the race to sign Bellingham next year before he “goes to Madrid in five years”.
“I think he will [join Manchester City], yeah. He’ll say, ‘listen, I’ve got a couple of mates there, English boys. I can go to Madrid in five years’,” Ferdinand said on his Vibe with Five YouTube channel.
“There’s no rush. I just think he thinks: ‘you know what, I’m the superstar. I’m going to win the Premier League, because I’m an English-born boy.
“And then I’ll go to Madrid and I’ll do the same there in a few years.”
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