Chelsea are among the suitors interested in a move for the highly touted Borussia Dortmund prodigy Jude Bellingham, and could forge a deadly central partnership with his arrival.
What’s the word?
Transfer guru Fabrizio Romano tweeted in November of last year that Chelsea were among some of Europe’s most prestigious outfits in signing Bellingham, who is arguably the hottest commodity in world football at present, valued at €150m (£133m), and the desire for his signature does not seem to have dimmed.
And now, according to 90min, the 19-year-old sensation would “consider” a move to Stamford Bridge, despite the Blues having yet to initiate direct negotiations, unlike leading suitors Liverpool, Manchester City and Real Madrid.
With Chelsea owner Todd Boehly demonstrating his unrelenting might on the transfer front since taking the reins at the club last year, having already parted with more than £550m, the Premier League giants certainly possess the means to complete a monumental deal.
“Superstar” duo
Despite bolstering the ranks at Stamford Bridge and acquiring the signatures of a plethora of talented stars, Chelsea are expected to continue the spending spree in the summer, with the club transitioning to a comprehensive new look.
And currently languishing in ninth place in the Premier League with just 30 points from 21 matches, ten points off Newcastle United in fourth place, there will be hope that the fresh faces can rejuvenate the ranks and charge a surging run to the top of the division once again.
And while Bellingham cannot sway the fortunes of the west London outfit on the pitch this term, he can certainly make a marked improvement for years to come, having already forged 115 outings in Germany since his initial £25m move from boyhood club Birmingham City in 2019.
This season alone, he has scored ten goals and served five assists from 25 appearances for the Yellow Wall, vital in the club’s fight for silverware and a place in the Champions League next year.
Chelsea, who face Dortmund in the first knockout phase of the Champions League later this month, will be able to observe their £49k-per-week target’s skills firsthand, and will hope to convince him of a move with a dazzling collective display, hopeful that their own midfield maestro Enzo Fernandez can play a definitive part in convincing the starlet to switch allegiances this summer.
Blues boss Graham Potter’s £107m January signing is likely to be the catalyst for desired change, with his dynamic central skill set encompassing what is required to flourish as a world-class component to a first-rate outfit on the continental scale, and with Bellingham’s arrival this summer, deadly duo could emerge, with devastating consequences for the side’s opponents.
As per FBref, the 22-cap Bellingham ranks among the top 4% of midfielders across Europe’s big five leagues for rate of goals, 7% for rate of assists and 2% for successful take-ons, whereas Fernandez ranks among the top 1% for progressive passes and the top 5% for shot-creating actions, although he is compared to those playing in Men’s ‘Next 8’ – the best divisions below the established big five – leagues, having recently departed from SL Benfica.
This illustrates both the offensive might that the pair would create, and also the vigorous and all-encompassing midfield work that would ensure Chelsea are balanced and composed with such superlative and varied quality.
With his dynamic partnership, Potter could land a “superstar” – as Bellingham was lauded by Rio Ferdinand – duo to devastate with regularity, no matter the foe, and in Fernandez’s playmaking prowess and Bellingham’s pivoting destroyer role, the innate and seamless abilities could entwine like vines up a branch, bouncing off each other and striking with robustness, creativity and flair from the middle.
Chelsea are piecing the puzzle together, and with Bellingham as the central focal point, Boehly’s work could be complete.