Manchester United No Longer In Race To Sign Jude Bellingham; Here's What We Know

Manchester United have reportedly pulled out of the race to sign England's teenage sensation Jude Bellingham.

Bellingham has a contract with Borussia Dortmund until 2025, but the 19-year-old midfielder is expected to leave the Bundesliga side in the summer. Jurgen Klopp's Liverpool FC are one of the favorites to land Bellingham but they will receive fierce competition from La Liga rivals Real Madrid, reported Spanish outlet AS Diario.

Manchester United were first linked with Bellingham in 2020 but the 19-year-old midfielder chose Dortmund over the Old Trafford side. The Red Devils then signed Bellingham's Dortmund teammate Jadon Sancho in the 2021 summer window. But now they "hardly have any chance" in Bellingham's transfer case ahead of the upcoming winter and summer windows, reported Sky Sports.

Now into his third season at Dortmund, Bellingham has become a regular starter in Gareth Southgate's England squad. He has also been impressive in the Champions League with Dortmund. He became the club's youngest-ever captain in a match against Köln last month.

Bellingham won't come for cheap as Dortmund is expected to ask between $105 million and $157 million, according to CaughtoffSide. Yet, Klopp is pushing Liverpool to sign the teenage midfielder.

Bellingham has grown very close to the Liverpool duo of Trent Alexander-Arnold and Jordan Henderson during their World Cup campaign, which could be a good sign for the Reds heading into the 2023 summer window.

The Dortmund midfielder has netted nine goals and provided three assists in 22 competitive appearances for the Signal Iduna Park side. He is currently playing in the 2022 World Cup and has netted a goal and an assist for England.

Meanwhile, Real Madrid are seeing Bellingham as a long-term replacement for their veteran midfielder Luka Modric. Los Blancos have already begun reviving their midfield in the last couple of years, with Aurélien Tchouaméni (22) and Eduardo Camavinga (19) joining the club and Casemiro leaving for Manchester United.

The French duo has certainly boosted the Real Madrid midfield, although they are still heavily dependent on 37-year-old Modric and 32-year-old Toni Kroos, who has said he wants to end his career at Estadio Santiago Bernabéu but has also hinted he won't carry on for too much longer.

Liverpool, on the other hand, are also looking to reduce the average age of their midfield, with the likes of Jordan Henderson, Thiago Alcántara and James Milner all over 30. Fabinho will turn 30 next year. While Klopp signed Arthur Melo on loan from Juventus in the summer transfer window, the Brazilian has made just one appearance since joining the club due to fitness and injury issues.