Borussia Dortmund ready to offer Jude Bellingham new contract
By Tom Gott
Exclusive - Borussia Dortmund are preparing to offer a new contract to England midfielder Jude Bellingham as a reward for his meteoric rise this season.
Having signed him for around £25m last summer, Dortmund had high expectations for Bellingham, but even those at the Signal Iduna Park have been stunned by just how much he has grown as a player in his debut season.
Bellingham has commanded a regular spot in the starting lineup at club level and he is expected to be included in Gareth Southgate's England squad for the European Championships, and sources have confirmed to 90min that Dortmund are keen to reward the teenager with a bumper new deal which could take his wages towards the £100,000-a-week mark.
With his contract set to enter its final two years this summer, Dortmund are aware that clubs around Europe are taking notice of the situation. Numerous Premier League clubs have enquired about the possibility of bringing Bellingham back to England at the end of this season, but Dortmund are not interested whatsoever.
"Jude has the right attitude, always gives everything, works completely for his team," director Sebastian Kehl told Kicker recently. "And he's already taking responsibility. We are therefore very satisfied with his development in his first season for Borussia Dortmund."
Dortmund intend to give Bellingham the chance to double his wages and extend his stay at the club, and the 17-year-old is understood to be more than happy to put pen to paper on fresh terms.
Moving to Germany has given Bellingham the chance to play consistent, high-level football at such an early stage in his career, and despite the team's struggles this season, the midfielder feels as though Dortmund is the best place for him to continue his development.
Dortmund are facing a battle to qualify for next season's Champions League. They currently sit fifth in the Bundesliga standings, but with just two points separating Edin Terzic's side and third-placed Wolfsburg, the door to Europe's biggest competition remains open.
Missing out on the Champions League may well lead to an exodus at the club, with Erling Haaland, Jadon Sancho, Julian Brandt and Emre Can among the players attracting intense interest from elsewhere, but Dortmund are adamant Bellingham will be going nowhere.
Offloading some of those players would free up the money to hand Bellingham such a big contract, while Dortmund will also reduce their wage budget when veteran full-backs Lukasz Piszczek and Marcel Schmelzer leave upon the expiry of their contracts this summer.