Steve McManaman has urged Manchester United to beat his former side Liverpool in the race to sign sought-after Borussia Dortmund midfielder Jude Bellingham.
The 18-year-old, who has gone from strength to strength since swapping Birmingham for Signal Iduna Park in July 2020, has been tipped to move to the Premier League in the near future.
Amongst several interested teams, Man United and Liverpool are understood to be the front-runners in the race to take the prodigious youngster to England’s top-flight.
McManaman believes the Red Devils have to bring Bellingham to Old Trafford to plug midfield holes as they look for reinforcements ahead of the January transfer window.
“I think United need a centre-midfielder of that ilk,” he said, as relayed by Express Sport.
“Nemanja Matic and Juan Mata are coming to the end of their careers and Paul Pogba may leave.
“So if there’s one team that needs a player like Jude Bellingham, it’s Manchester United.”
While enjoying a rise to stardom at Birmingham, Bellingham had several offers from the Premier League, but he turned them down to seal a move to Germany’s top-flight.
He has developed into one of the hottest prospects in European football since joining Dortmund for £25 million in 2020.
Despite his tender age, the England international has already tallied 67 appearances for the Bundesliga powerhouse, racking up seven goals and 12 assists in the process.
Bellingham’s composure on the ball, pinpoint passing and vision are off the scale for a player of his age, and it’s not surprising that Man United and Liverpool are keen to capture his signature.
Jurgen Klopp is a known admirer of the highly-rated midfielder, but it feels like the Red Devils are in more urgent need of his services at the moment.
The Englishman’s future is seemingly lying in his homeland, and it could be up to Ralf Rangnick to broker his move to Old Trafford.
The interim boss has reportedly set his sights on Bellingham as part of his efforts to inject fresh blood into United’s depleted midfield.
With Pogba Pogba sidelined with a long-term injury and Nemanja Matic not getting younger, Scott McTominay and Fred are the only reliable options in the centre of the park.
Therefore, Man United are likely to intervene in the January transfer window, although it remains to be seen whether they’d be able to convince Dortmund to green-light Bellingham’s move.
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