The biggest summer transfer certainty may be Jude Bellingham leaving Borussia Dortmund. Bellingham was once a Bayern Munich signing candidate, but his standing in world football has drastically improved since then. Even some of the richest teams are giving up on attempting to recruit Bellingham, 19 because he is already a top talent. Sport1’s Patrick Berger says that Liverpool FC has decided not to participate in the auction.
Importantly, unlike Liverpool’s owners, the club’s Abu Dhabi-based owners have no financial restrictions. Meeting Dortmund’s demand and Bellingham’s wage expectations would not be difficult. But, at least in the eyes of the players, there are downsides to City’s prosperity. The reigning Premier League winners can afford to make mistakes in the transfer market. If a pricey signing fails, they can simply make another one.
They are in the fortunate position of being able to purchase a young, quality English midfielder for £42 million ($53 million) and bench him for almost the whole season. Bellingham is a better player than Kalvin Phillips and very different from him, but Bellingham’s struggles at the Etihad this year have shown how difficult it is to get into this City team. Undoubtedly, Pep has a plan for Bellingham, but tactically, he may not be the ideal choice. The fact that City doesn’t have a player of the 19-year-old’s caliber is fortunate in one way but possibly problematic in another.