"My mind's blown!" - Rio Ferdinand claims Man Utd and Liverpool could have made a £50m mistake

Rio Ferdinand believes Jude Bellingham's asking price could increase by as much as £50m if he has a successful World Cup campaign with England.

Bellingham, 19, produced a sensational performance in England's opening game against Iran on Monday.

He opened the scoring with a superb header as Gareth Southgate's side ran out 6-2 winners at the Khalifa International Stadium in Doha.

It continued his remarkable form for both club and country, with Bellingham already managing nine goals and three assists for Borussia Dortmund this season.

Bellingham linked with Premier League return

The former Birmingham City midfielder has been strongly linked with a return to English football, with Liverpool and Manchester United among a group of clubs reportedly keen to sign the England international.

Real Madrid have also been linked with Bellingham, who was recently named the most valuable player competing at the World Cup with a transfer valuation of more than €200m.

Dortmund are believed to want around £130m for Bellingham, who is under contract with the German club until 2025.

But former England star Ferdinand believes the midfielder's asking price could skyrocket if he continues to impress in Qatar.

"If I was head of recruitment anywhere, I'd have been trying to sign him before this World Cup," Ferdinand said on his Five podcast.

"Just do a deal because it's going to go up by 30, 40, 50 [million] if he keeps on doing this."

Ferdinand backs Bellingham to become England captain

Former Manchester United defender Ferdinand also believes Bellingham has all the qualities needed to captain England.

"My mind's blown, I can't speak properly when I talk about him because a lot of the time we see the footballer player and we say 'what a player, blah, blah, blah'," he added.

"You're not sure what's going to happen off the pitch because they are young, there can be mistakes. There is an element of being naive to certain situations.

"This kid could be captain, in the way he carries himself, now."

Topics: Rio Ferdinand, Manchester United, Jude Bellingham, Liverpool, Borussia Dortmund, England, Premier League, Football, Transfers

Rory O'Callaghan

Rory O'Callaghan is Editorial Lead at SPORTbible. He has previously worked for Sky Sports News, MailOnline and Reach covering football, cricket, boxing and MMA. Tested daily as a Liverpool fan in a Manchester office.

@rory_ocallaghan