Manchester City striker Erling Braut Haaland has reportedly asked Borussia Dortmund’s Jude Bellingham to join him at the Etihad.
The future of the 19-year-old England international has sparked speculation ahead of a potential bidding war in the summer of 2023.
Real Madrid are thought to be first in line to recruit the former Birmingham City youngster, but the Premier League is also interested.
Liverpool, Manchester City, and Manchester United are all said to be interested in Bellingham, and the Reds are said to have made an offer.
However, Man City are reportedly hopeful that Haaland’s strong relationship with Bellingham will work in their favour, with the pair becoming good friends during their stint at Dortmund.
Haaland Pushing For Bellingham To Join Man City?
According to CBS Sports (via The Mirror), Haaland has now urged his old teammate to follow in his footsteps and don the sky blue shirt as Pep Guardiola’s side strives for his services.
The two youngsters developed a strong on- and off-field bond at the Westfalenstadion before Haaland left in the summer of this year after scoring 86 goals in 89 Bundesliga outings.
The Norwegian international has maintained his prolific form for the Premier League champions, having already scored 14 goals in all competitions, 11 of which have come in the Premier League.
Meanwhile, Bellingham has already made a century of appearances for Borussia Dortmund, scoring 13 goals and providing 18 assists.
Related: Bellingham Is The Future Of English Football, Declan Rice Says
The England international scored the only goal in his team’s 2-1 Champions League loss to Manchester City earlier this month, and he was spotted talking with Haaland after the 22-year-acrobatic old’s victory.
Bellingham’s contract with Borussia Dortmund expires in 2025, but the Black and Yellows are poised to lose him next summer after fighting hard to keep him for the 2022-23 season.
Despite the appeal of returning to his homeland, Bellingham is thought to prefer a move to Real Madrid in 2023, and a figure of £83m is said to be sufficient if paid in one lump sum.
Should an interested party instead choose for a long-term payment plan, Dortmund are understood to be holding out for a hefty cost of €150m (£135.5m) after spending only £22.5m to obtain his services from Birmingham in 2020.
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