Manchester City increasing in confidence over beating Liverpool and Real Madrid to blockbuster signing

Manchester City’s confidence in the race for Borussia Dortmund’s Jude Bellingham has increased in recent weeks, as other domestic rivals start to fall behind.

The upcoming summer transfer window could be full of both arrivals and departures for Manchester City, especially in the midfield position of Pep Guardiola’s first-team squad.

As the next transfer market edges closer, the futures of Manchester City trio Ilkay Gundogan, Bernardo Silva, and Kalvin Phillips remain uncertain, with the former showing no signs of penning a new contract with his existing deal expiring at the end of the season.

A recent report claimed that talks between Gundogan, his representatives and Manchester City had come to a standstill, while Bernardo Silva and Phillips have been linked to potential suitors over the past few weeks.

The Portugal international is claimed to be wanted by all of Paris Saint Germain, Barcelona, and Real Madrid, while the former Leeds United midfielder is attracting interest from both West Ham and Leicester City.

As such, transfer-focussed officials within the Etihad Stadium have been hard at work eyeing up potential replacements, with Borussia Dortmund’s Jude Bellingham understood to be at the very top of their priorities this summer.

The 19-year-old gem has been with the Bundesliga giants since 2020, after making the switch from Championship outfit Birmingham City, and since making 124 appearances and scoring 20 goals complimented by a further 24 assists in that time.

Manchester City have been linked with a deal for the England international for a number of weeks now, but a new report from ESPN’s Rob Dawson and Rodrigo Faez now states that the Etihad Stadium is one of the most likely destinations for Bellingham this summer.

ESPN report that there is a growing confidence from within Manchester City that they can build on the successful pursuit of Erling Haaland last summer by securing the signature of Bellingham in the coming weeks and months.

Granted, there are other parties that remain interested in acquiring Borussia Dortmund’s wonder kid, as Real Madrid sit with Manchester City at the top of the list of potential suitors, as Liverpool and Manchester United start to lag behind.

The La Liga side are reportedly looking at replacements for Luka Modric, who will turn 38 years-old in the opening weeks of next season, and could see the Three Lions youngster as a worthy replacement – with City’s Bernardo Silva also being rumoured as a potential option.

Despite all of the interest surrounding the 19-year-old, Borussia Dortmund still reserve the option of keeping him for the upcoming season, as his contract does not expire until the conclusion of the 2024/25 season.