Pep Guardiola reportedly gave Borussia Dortmund midfielder Jude Bellingham a Manchester City shirt as a ‘gift’, following a recent meeting between the two sides.
The teenage midfielder is expected to be one of Europe’s most sought-after talents in the upcoming summer transfer window, with his recent performances for England at the FIFA World Cup in Qatar only increasing the price tag on his name.
Manchester City are one club that are almost certain to be in the race for Jude Bellingham’s signature, with question marks still hanging over the future of club captain Ilkay Gundogan and Bernardo Silva heading into the second-half of the ongoing season.
Gundogan is into the final few months of his existing contract, and is understood to have not yet made a decision as to whether he would like to remain at the Etihad Stadium beyond this campaign.
Despite the futures of current players still remaining uncertain, it now appears as though Manchester City have already been making their admiration for potential target Jude Bellingham very clear in-person.
During a recent conversation on the TNT Sports Brasil YouTube channel, as translated by City Xtra Português, the details of an interesting exchange between Jude Bellingham and Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola were revealed.
It is stated that following Manchester City’s recent 0-0 draw with Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League group stage, Head of Player Support and Protocol for the Premier League champions, Manel Estiarte was in conversation with Bellingham.
At one point in the discussion, it is revealed that Pep Guardiola gave the 19 year-old England midfielder a Manchester City shirt “as a gift”.
Fred Caldeira admitted, “I’ve never seen Man City ‘pamper’ a player like that before.”
Pep Guardiola has made his admiration very clear for Jude Bellingham, speaking highly of the former Birmingham City man during recent press conferences around games involving his side and Borussia Dortmund.
Speaking last October, Guardiola said, “Dortmund is a perfect place for young, talented players. Maybe if Bellingham went to a top Premier League team, he wouldn’t get the minutes. The best way for a young player to get better is play minutes. At 17, he arrived.
“It’s not just the quality, he had special mentality. Already one of the captains, at 19 is quite impressive. It’s not just about the goals, the whole package is really good. He’s already playing for England at 19. We know the quality he has.”
Should Manchester City look to pursue a deal for Jude Bellingham, then they can be expected to pay a fee in excess of £85 million for the England star, and possibly even exceed their club record for a single transfer – currently held by the £100 million deal to sign Jack Grealish from Aston Villa in 2021.
Source:cityextra
