Who are the favourites to sign Jude Bellingham? Shock move now odds on after Liverpool admit defeat

Liverpool have pulled out of the race to sign Jude Bellingham. So where is the England international most likely to end up now?

On Tuesday it emerged that Liverpool had decided not to pursue a move for Borussia Dortmund’s Bellingham, due to the high transfer fee involved.

The teenager had been heavily linked with the Reds for months, but any move for the midfielder would cost more than £100million.

Indeed, while Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp is thought to be a huge fan of Bellingham, the size of the deal compared to the changes needed at Liverpool means the club do not consider the transfer a viable option.

The Reds, who are eighth in the Premier League, are planning a major rebuild and are reportedly hoping to bring in at least two midfielders this summer.

Given Bellingham looks unlikely to be playing for the Merseyside club anytime soon, where is his most likely destination?

To stay at Dortmund - 6/4

Despite all the furore surrounding Bellingham’s future, Skybet believes the 19-year-old is most likely to remain at Dortmund.

The starlet is currently contracted with the Bundesliga club until 2025, however, they are attempting to tie him down to new terms.

However, German publication Bild claimed on Wednesday that Dortmund would have to table a contract offer worth at least €15million (£13million) for Bellingham to remain at the club.

Manchester City - 2/1

Some reports have suggested Manchester City are now the frontrunners to sign Bellingham given Real are reluctant to spend heavily on transfers due to their stadium renovation expenses.

Anyone who watched City dismantle Bayern Munich in the first leg of the Champions League quarter-final on Tuesday will know that Pep Guardiola’s side don’t NEED Bellingham.

But that doesn’t mean the Premier League giants won’t try to reunite the player with friend and former Dortmund team-mate Erling Haaland.

Naturally, Guardiola is a fan, having heaped praise on Bellingham earlier this season. In October the City boss said: “This guy was something special in terms of his mentality. Now he is 19 and he is already one of the captains. The quality, everybody knows it. The whole package is really good.”

Liverpool/Real Madrid - 7/2

While Liverpool are supposedly out of the running Skybet still have them at 7/2 to land the England man.

Reds fans will be heartened by their past transfer sagas. There was a time a deal for Allison Becker looked to be off, with Roma's price tag said to be a key reason.

The Brazilian went on to move to Anfield for a fee of £66.8 million months later, making him the world's most expensive goalkeeper at the time.

Real Madrid are also at 7/2 and Bild claimed that Los Blancos would be willing to shell out around €100million (£87million) upfront to secure the player. The deal would also include add-ons that could take the total package to around €130-150million (£114- 131million).

Meanwhile the La Liga giants would also allegedly offer Bellingham a contract worth €20million (£17million) per year.

The Outsiders

Manchester Utd - 14/1

Arsenal - 25/1

Chelsea - 25/1

Newcastle - 33/1

Tottenham - 40/1

(All odds accurate at time of writing)

Topics: Football, Jude Bellingham, Transfers, Manchester City, Real Madrid, Borussia Dortmund, Liverpool, Manchester United

Chris Byfield

Sport journalist with experience writing on football, rugby, boxing and the Olympics. I'm also a Crystal Palace fan. Please don't hold this against me.