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England international Jude Bellingham has been backed to sign for Chelsea instead of Manchester United and Liverpool.
Bellingham, 19, is one of the most in-demand players in world football, with the Borussia Dortmund star the target of a number of Europe's top clubs.
United, Liverpool, Chelsea and Real Madrid have all been linked with Bellingham, who has scored 19 goals in 112 games for Dortmund since joining from Birmingham City in 2020.
Bellingham's stock has risen even further at the World Cup in Qatar, with the midfielder scoring England's first goal of the tournament in their 6-2 win over Iran.
According to a recent CIES Football Observatory study, Bellingham is the most valuable player at the World Cup with a transfer valuation of £176.8m - ahead of the likes of Vinicius Jr (£176m) and Kylian Mbappe (£162m).
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Lescott backs Bellingham to join Chelsea
While Liverpool and Real Madrid are thought to be the favourites to sign Bellingham, former England international Joleon Lescott believes Chelsea could eventually win the race.
"The question is where does he go? Wherever he wants to go, but I just feel that Chelsea are going to make it where they can’t say no to them," Lescott said on the All To Play For podcast.
But Lescott’s co-host, former Newcastle United goalkeeper Shay Given disagrees.
"Everyone says that Liverpool is a done deal, but then you look at Madrid with Modric and co, they’re ageing a bit. The reason I say Real Madrid is because he’s that good to be there," Given replied.
Manchester City and PSG have also been linked with Bellingham, who is under contract with Dortmund until the summer of 2025.
Bellingham's immediate focus, however, will be on England’s next match at the World Cup.
Gareth Southgate's side face Africa Cup of Nations winners Senegal in the last 16 on Sunday, with a potential quarter-final against either Poland or defending champions France further down the line.
Featured Image Credit: Alamy
Topics: Jude Bellingham, Liverpool, Chelsea, Manchester United, Football, Borussia Dortmund, Transfers, England
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