Borussia Dortmund CEO Hans-Joachim Watzke has said he will meet with Jude Bellingham after the 2022 FIFA World Cup to discuss the midfielder’s future, with Liverpool interested in signing the teenager.
Speaking to Bild-TV, the Bundesliga official revealed that he will sit down with Bellingham and his team to talk about the youngster’s future, with many reports indicating that the midfielder will leave Dortmund with the Athletic reporting that Liverpool have made the 19-year-old their main target for the summer.
With a price tag of £130m according to ESPN, Bellingham is expected to become one of the most expensive players of all time should he leave Dortmund in the summer, with Liverpool needing to smash their transfer record if they’re to win the race to sign the superstar.
Interest is mounting for Bellingham as the midfielder continues to shine in the Bundesliga. And according to Dortmund’s CEO, he will sit down with the teenager after the World Cup to find out what the former Birmingham City star wants in 2023.
Watzke said: “As soon as Qatar is over, we’re going to have a conversation about what he wants. With him, with his parents, with his agent. And then he should just tell us whether he wants to stay or whether he wants to go. Either way, we’ll discuss it pleasantly and reasonably.
“But we don’t have to pretend that the topic isn’t on the table. When the really big clubs are there, we can’t afford to fight financially either. Jude is a wonderful boy who also has his fluctuations. We’ve seen that now but he is certainly one of the greatest talents in European football.”
Liverpool must do all they can to sign Jude Bellingham
Bellingham looks almost certain to leave Dortmund in 2023. And for Liverpool, the Reds know they already face quite the challenge in trying to sign the England international, who looks set to become the most expensive British player of all-time next year.
Indeed, Bellingham would be perfect for Liverpool’s ageing midfield. And based on how talks with Dortmund’s CEO go later this year, the teenager could soon be on his way to Anfield if the Reds can beat their rivals to the youngster’s signature.
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