Jude Bellingham playing his way further into Chelsea's future plans
Chelsea have a long-standing interest in the England international
Watching along on Sunday as England beat Andorra 4-0 in the World Cup qualifiers, I felt bad when Gareth Southgate bought Jude Bellingham off the field.
He was looking for some more flair and creativity from his more experienced players whom he was bringing on to try and get some more goals on the board and make it more comfortable, which of course did happen.
But Bellingham was once again playing with maturity beyond his years and was always hungry to receive the ball whether he was in a tight spot or not. He had another great game in an England shirt and just proves once again the quality he has.
Not that he needs to prove it, he has been scouted by pretty much every big club in Europe since he was a young kid, including Chelsea, who have a long-standing interest in him.
The club contemplated making a move to sign him before he joined Borussia Dortmund in the summer of 2020, but at the age of just 17 they believed it to be too much of a risk at that stage and needed players they knew were more complete already.
But since then of course Bellingham has proven to be more than the complete player this season in Germany, and Chelsea have increased their interest and scouting in the young midfielder.
The club already have good communications with Dortmund and are in regular contact with them and the representatives of Bellingham. But of course, Bellingham is not a player they would be happy to see leave next summer, or anytime.
Chelsea have him on the radar of a potential midfielder they might look to bring in next summer depending on circumstances. Bellingham has many admirers at Chelsea who would love to bring him to Stamford Bridge next summer.
Declan Rice of course is seen as the priority for the club and for Thomas Tuchel, but the performances of Bellingham will certainly not be going unnoticed with those high up at the club. The two players are different profiles as well though of course.
There is a long way to go until next summer of course with a lot of different situations being dependent on Chelsea’s plans, but Bellingham might be one of those players that they simply cannot afford to ignore.
Simon Phillips