The full bullsh*t from Northcroft if anyone can be arsed reading it?
However, Bellingham’s rapid development during a campaign in which he has become the Dortmund captain and starred at a World Cup — at a tender 19 — has redrawn his value and two clubs of a higher spending power, Manchester City and Real Madrid, are now strongly in the fray.
With Manchester United interested and Paris Saint-Germain (despite reports) also considered to be keen, Dortmund can anticipate an auction. Bellingham has no buyout clause and his price is expected to be north of £130 million once fees are factored in. However, his destination will be Bellingham’s choice, not his club’s. It is understood that he would rather stay at Dortmund and reassess in 2024 than be pushed towards a move that’s not absolutely right for him.
In further contrast to perceptions, there was never any indication that he preferred Liverpool. His father, Mark, is a Liverpool fan, but the player and his family have plotted his career to date flawlessly by taking all factors other than what is best for his development out of the equation. So, with no special levers to make the deal happen, Liverpool pulled out to avoid the risk of allocating a huge chunk of their budget and summer to a bidding war they were not favourites to win.
Michael Edwards was in a garden centre when he took the call telling him that Liverpool would have to break a world transfer record for Virgil van Dijk. He was
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