Jude Bellingham is at the center of a transfer battle between Man Utd, Liverpool and Real Madrid and gave his answer when asked if a move to Old Trafford was an option

Jude Bellingham has laughed off ‘stupid’ claims he could move to Manchester United as interest in the England star soars.

The former Birmingham City midfielder has always shone internationally and at club level for Drei Löwen and German giants Borussia Dortmund. His excellence led a number of clubs to consider a large sum of money for his signature.

Man United are interested alongside fierce rivals Liverpool, while Spanish giants Real Madrid have also been linked. Recently, a fan asked Bellingham if he could become a red devil in a video shared on social media.

While taking a picture next to the midfielder, they asked, “Do you want to come Man U?” Bellingham then walked away laughing before replying, “No. Don’t be silly.”

It’s not the first time Bellingham has been talked about about his future lately. The 19-year-old raised eyebrows with his social media activities following Man United’s 7-0 win over Liverpool.

The midfielder, who is close friends with England team-mate Trent Alexander-Arnold, decided to like a post the defender shared on Instagram following the Reds’ triumph. It remains to be seen where Bellingham will end up if clubs plan a dip this summer.

Former Red Devil Peter Schmeichel has suggested the midfielder would be an ideal signing for United and has hinted that Old Trafford could become a more attractive destination depending on what happens over the rest of the season.

Last month, the former goalkeeper said: “One of the things Jamie [Carragher] said about buying Jude Bellingham from Liverpool, he would be perfect for us, but we’re not attractive enough [at the moment] because we’re not in that position.

“But you can imagine a situation where Liverpool aren’t in the Champions League and Manchester United are, then suddenly we’re more attractive. And of course, with the Manchester City situation, we could be that club, so it’s very important to us now. constantly stay on track.”

Jude Bellingham is expected to leave Dortmund in the summer transfer window.

Any deal for Bellingham, in whatever capacity, is not expected to come cheap, with reports suggesting Dortmund will shell out around £130m for his services. This is sure to be a price that Old Trafford officials won’t like. The Red Devils had originally been linked with an attack on Bellingham ahead of his move to Dortmund from Birmingham but were beaten by the German side – a £25m fee paid to the Midlands side.

Bellingham, 19, has since made 122 Bundesliga appearances and has just over two years on his contract at Signal Iduna Park.

Also…

Steven Gerrard gives Jurgen Klopp food for thought as he names Liverpool’s ‘best’ midfielders

Steven Gerrard captained the Liverpool midfielder during his career at Anfield but called out current star Jordan Henderson amid criticism from the current skipper.

Steven Gerrard named Xabi Alonso as the best midfielder he played with at Liverpool, but claimed Jordan Henderson was “very selfless and a leader”.

The club legend spent 17 years at Anfield and was often the driving force behind the middle of the park. He has played alongside many individuals, but it was the Spanish star, signed by Rafa Benitez in 2004, who marked Gerrard the most.

However, he was also more than impressed with the current Merseyside skipper, who had faced criticism this season as talks of a summer reshuffle continued. Henderson is now in his thirties and, after a slow start to life at Liverpool, was a crucial part of the success of the Jurgen Klopp era.

Gerrard said on the LFCTV show When Stevie Met Salah, “The best one I’ve played with? I enjoyed playing with Jordan [Henderson] because Jordan was very selfless, he was a leader, he ran a lot for me and I was older at the time, so I needed Jordan’s energy. But if you talk about a single player that I loved it was Xabi Alonso. Alonso allowed me to play as number 10. So I was able to get more shots on goal, more goals, more assists.

Henderson is one of many supporters at the center of the park, including Fabinho, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, James Milner and Naby Keita. Many of those could be moved in the summer as the club looks to retool their midfield to stay competitive.
However, Gerrard’s comments

highlight Henderson’s influence on the former Sunderland man who is often praised for the unseen work he does. Klopp was willing to keep key figures in the group, namely Milner, due to the clout they carry and Henderson could now move into that group as the club makes decisions about how to get the best out of their engine room.

Young players like Harvey Elliott and Fabio Carvalho have consistently failed to make the desired impact and Jurgen Klopp will hit the market hard this summer. Jude Bellingham is considered their main target with Chelsea’s Mason Mount also on their radar as his future remains unclear.

“We have to make our own plans but depending on how this club is run it’s obviously different to other clubs but that’s worked out so far so we’ll have to see if it still works or if we have to adapt ourselves. It’s not that “today wasn’t good and now we have to change”.

“It’s clear, it’s always clear that this team has a wonderful history and how this club is run by not wasting the money and just seeing if it worked out or not. Our transfers always have to be right, that makes it really difficult, we can’t make four transfers before we know who’s leaving.”