Manchester United will compete for the signature of Borussia Dortmund midfielder Jude Bellingham next summer, sports journalist Pete O'Rourke has told GiveMeSport.

The lowdown

Dortmund refused to sell the 19-year-old, who is under contract until June 2025, in the summer transfer window, having already lost Erling Haaland to Manchester City.

It will cost suitors in the region of £100m to sign him from the Bundesliga outfit in 2023, as per a recent report from The Athletic.

That would break United's transfer record, eclipsing the £94.5m that they paid to sign Paul Pogba in 2016.

The latest

It was claimed during the summer that United would be in the race to sign Bellingham, and it's a stance that O'Rourke has reiterated beyond the end of the recent transfer window.

He can see the Red Devils going in for the Dortmund midfielder next year, telling GiveMeSport: “I think if Jude Bellingham does become available in the next transfer window, whether it’s next summer or January, I’m sure Manchester United, like all top European clubs, will be in that race for Bellingham.”

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The verdict

Bellingham certainly looks like a generational talent.

Earlier this year, the 19-year-old was voted the best men's player born after 1 January 2003 in Goal's NXGN stakes. Previous award winners include the likes of Gianluigi Donnarumma, Ansu Fati and current Old Trafford star Jadon Sancho.

Bellingham has won the approval of some United legends, with Rio Ferdinand arguing that the teenager 'has the full package' and 'improves every team on the planet', while Roy Keane has called his potential 'scary'.

If the Red Devils do win the race for the Dortmund sensation, it could truly be an era-defining capture for Erik ten Hag and Manchester United.