Borussia Dortmund set to sign Jude Bellingham for £20 million

Borussia Dortmund are set to sign highly coveted Birmingham City midfielder Jude Bellingham, beating out Manchester United for his signature.

Bellingham has long been linked with a move to Borussia Dortmund, with reports claiming last week that the midfielder and his father had made a commitment to the club days before the coronavirus lockdown. Now ESPN say that the Black and Yellows have won the race for the 16 year old, and the announcement of his arrival could be made in the coming days.

A number of clubs, including Manchester United, Chelsea and Bayern Munich were linked with a move for Bellingham, but Borussia Dortmund have always been the favourites.

The report adds that Borussia Dortmund will pay a fee in the range of £20 million for Bellingham. As mentioned before by reports in Germany, the fee for Bellingham will be a training compensation instead of a transfer fee since he does not have a professional contract with Birmingham City. It is a similar agreement to the one Borussia Dortmund reached with Manchester City for the transfer of Jadon Sancho in 2017.

Bellingham, who turns 17 next week, has made a total of 36 appearances for Birmingham City this season, and has four goals and three assists to his name. The midfielder has been one of the Championship’s best performers this season despite his young age.

Bellingham is not the only player nearing a move to the Westfalenstadion. Paris St. Germain and Belgium right-back Thomas Meunier is also on the verge of joining Lucien Favre’s side on a free transfer.