In-demand Borussia Dortmund midfielder Jude Bellingham is reportedly set to sit down with the Bundesliga giants in January to discuss his future.
The 19-year-old has become one of the hottest properties on the market in recent months, having continued to shine for both club and country in his teenage years.
Since leaving Birmingham City for Dortmund in 2020 at the age of 16, Bellingham has become a mainstay of the BVB first XI and has 19 goals and 21 assists to show from 112 matches.
The England international's 2022-23 statistics include nine goals and three assists from 22 games in all tournaments, while he scored once and set up one more for England at the World Cup.
Bellingham remains under contract at the Westfalenstadion until the end of the 2024-25 season, but Dortmund are not expected to retain his services beyond the summer.
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Liverpool, Real Madrid and Manchester City are regarded as the leading contenders to sign Bellingham, while Manchester United, Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain have also been credited with an interest.
It has been claimed that Bellingham is currently favouring a switch to Real Madrid and has his heart set on a move to the Bernabeu, while Liverpool believe they are in the driver's seat due to their relationship with his entourage.
However, German football expert Jan Aage Fjortoft has insisted that any talk of the 19-year-old earmarking a preferred destination is false, and he will hold talks with Dortmund over his future career plans next month.
"All reports on what the player or his entourage prefer are speculations," Fjortoft said on Twitter, as quoted by the Liverpool Echo. "They will sit down with Dortmund in January. Then a process will be decided."
Dortmund are likely to demand a fee of approximately £130m or more to sanction Bellingham's sale next summer, with Real and Liverpool expected to enter a two-horse race for his signature in 2023.
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Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp recently laughed off the chances of his side completing a January deal for Bellingham, while Real boss Carlo Ancelotti has affirmed that his side will make no signings over the winter.
As well as Bellingham, Benfica's Enzo Fernandez and Fiorentina's Sofyan Amrabat are two other midfield names expected to command hefty transfer fees to move elsewhere in 2023.
Liverpool and Real Madrid are said to be in the running for Fernandez, while the Reds are also plotting a move for Morocco stalwart Amrabat as a cheaper alternative to Bellingham and the Argentine.
However, Liverpool could face competition from Tottenham Hotspur and Paris Saint-Germain to sign Amrabat, while Chelsea are supposedly willing to pay in excess of £100m to win the race for Fernandez.
Ben Knapton
