Man City backed to land Bellingham deal

Manchester City have been backed to secure a swap deal that would see Jude Bellingham join the club in the next summer transfer window.

The Lowdown: City’s interest in Bellingham

The Manchester club have been linked with a move to sign the midfielder, with there being a growing belief that the Citizens will end up securing Bellingham’s signature in the summer.

Other clubs such as Real Madrid, Liverpool, Chelsea and Manchester United have also been reported to have an interest in signing the player, who has been included in the England squad for the upcoming World Cup in Qatar.

Now though, it appears that one pundit has suggested a potential outcome that may see the Dortmund star make a move to the Etihad Stadium, but with one current City figure going in the other direction.

The Latest: A swap deal for Bellingham

Speaking to Football Insider, pundit Noel Whelan had this to say about the possibility of seeing Ilkay Gundogan making a return to Dortmund at the end of the season in an effort to help City land Bellingham. He said:

“There could be a swap with Gundogan. We know he could want to leave England – and it’s not exactly a bad club to go back to, is it?

“There could be a deal to be done with that player plus some cash. You can’t really compete with Man City. When Jude Bellingham is looking at where Man City are in the league, the style of play – he suits them perfectly.

“If he was making the choice right now, I think he’d be swayed to go to City. They’re the more consistent side, and they’ll be in the most finals – whether that’s domestic football or in the Champions League.”

The Verdict: A viable option for City

Bearing in mind how Gundogan’s contract at City is set to expire at the end of the season having joined the Manchester club from Dortmund back in 2016, it’s easy to see why Whelan has suggested the German could be used in a deal that could see Bellingham join Pep Guardiola’s side.

Would you swap Ilkay Gundogan for Jude Bellingham?

Yes

No

Hailed as a “sublime” player by journalist Josh Bunting, the 19-year-old has shown how much of a capable midfielder he is by racking up more passes into the 18-yard box (22), shots at goal (31), successful tackles (26) and blocks (27) than any other player at Dortmund for the current Bundesliga campaign.

Despite having a rather hefty reported price tag of €100m (£87m), securing a deal for the Englishman, whether it involves seeing Gundogan going back to his old club or not, is definitely something that the City hierarchy should look to do in the next summer transfer window.