BORUSSIA DORTMUND are set to DOUBLE Jude Bellingham’s wages in a bid to fend off Chelsea’s approach, according to reports.
The ex-Birmingham teenager, 17, has been in sensational form this season, with Thomas Tuchel keen to bring him back to England.
But in a bid to keep Chelsea and the chasing pack at bay, Dortmund are set to raise Bellingham’s pay from £42,000 to £84,000 per week, according to BILD.
The two-cap England midfielder has played 44 times in all competitions for club and country this term following his £25million move from St Andrew’s last summer.
And Bellingham has earned rave reviews both in the UK and Germany for his astonishing form.
The former Championship star has particularly impressed in the Champions League in recent months.
Bellingham scored a beauty of a goal in the second leg of his side’s quarter-final defeat against Manchester City having been robbed of another in the first leg.
Dortmund have since revealed Bellingham is ‘untouchable’.
However, other reports have suggested the German giants would be open to selling for fees of upwards of £100m.
Chelsea have long been linked with a move for West Ham’s Declan Rice to bolster their midfield ranks.
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But interest seems to have cooled since Thomas Tuchel replaced Frank Lampard in January.
Now it’s claimed they feel Bellingham would be more suited to the German boss’ style.
Chelsea are now set to test Dortmund’s mettle just a year after they were were forced to fight tooth and nail to keep Jadon Sancho out of the clutches of Manchester United.
For Bellingham, he will now miss Dortmund’s next Bundesliga game as the race for a Champions League spot hots up.
The teenager picked up the first red card of his career during the 2-0 win over Wolfsburg after two bookable offences.
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Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
