Paul Merson thinks Jude Bellingham should stay at Borussia Dortmund despite rumours of interest from Premier League side Chelsea.
Bellingham starred for Dortmund in both legs of their Champions League quarter-final against Manchester City as the Bundesliga side went out 4-2 on aggregate.
The former Birmingham City youngster has gradually played a bigger part at Dortmund in his first season at the club, with 27 starts in all competitions.
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It was rumoured that Manchester United were interested in Bellingham before his move to Signal Iduna Park in the summer but he opted for the German giants.
The England international has taken to playing at the highest level like a duck to water and that has attracted interest from Chelsea.
A report in Eurosport on Friday claimed that Chelsea ‘are the club most interested at this stage as they consider how the side will continue to evolve under Thomas Tuchel’.
Frank Lampard was desperate for the Blues to buy Declan Rice from West Ham during his time at the club but now ‘there is a growing feeling that Bellingham could be the better buy’.
Bellingham is ‘happy to stay with Dortmund next season’ but that he ‘does intend to come back to England to test himself in the Premier League but will only do that when the right opportunity comes along’.
Dortmund believe that Bellingham is now ‘heading towards the same £100 million price bracket as Jadon Sancho and Erling Haaland’ and would demand a fee in line with that.
And Merson would like to see Bellingham realise his potential at Dortmund after watching his “phenomenal” performance against Manchester City.
“Jude Bellingham would walk into most Premier League teams because he’s a Rolls Royce footballer,” Merson wrote in the Daily Star. “But the top six missed a trick by letting him go to Germany and they must be kicking themselves now.
“Bellingham would walk into the Manchester City, Liverpool or Manchester United teams. He would rip it up at Arsenal or Tottenham. But he should stay at Borussia Dortmund because they believe in him and he is playing every week. He’s in a good place.
“I was blown away watching him against City. He knew everywhere to go. His game management was phenomenal. It was like seeing an old head on young shoulders because to do what he’s doing at 17 is extraordinary really.”
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