Borussia Dortmund boss Edin Terzic quipped that the club has had to field questions about Jude Bellingham’s future ever since the player first joined in 2020.
The England international has been strongly linked with an exit this summer having enjoyed a fantastic season in the Bundesliga as well as playing brilliantly at the World Cup.
There have been several suitors eyeing a move for the midfielder, including from Premier League trio Manchester United, Manchester City and Liverpool.
Even Chelsea, who Dortmund face in the second leg of their Champions League last-16 clash live on talkSPORT, have been linked along with European juggernauts Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain.
But Dortmund do not want to lose the 19-year-old with Terzic making the case for the 19-year-old to prolong his stay at the Signal Iduna Park.
“With all respect for Jude and his performance, we are answering these kinds of questions since he arrived (in 2020),” Terzic said.
“Before he chose to join us, he had opportunities to join the Premier League. There was loads of interest from top-flight clubs.
“But he chose to join us because he knows it can be the perfect step for him. I think we’ve proven it both ways. He’s helping us a lot. But we as a club are helping him and his career as well.
“We are really happy that he’s part of our team, he’s one of our leaders at 19.
“He stepped into the England team as one of our players. But we know that we need a good performance from him tomorrow.
“It’ll be a topic for his future, but our future now is that we’re going to face a really tough opponent tomorrow and so we need him in a good way.”
Meanwhile, Dortmund teammate and former Liverpool star Emre Can added: “He’s a world-class talent, everybody knows his potential.
“Jude has to know himself what he is doing. It’s difficult to say what is best for him. He and his family have to decide that.”
Dortmund beat the Blues 1-0 in the first leg in Germany with Graham Potter’s men in bad form of late.
And while the London side won at the weekend against Leeds, Dortmund have been in jaw-dropping form – winning every game since the World Cup concluded.
The Bundesliga side have reached the quarter-finals of the Champions League just once in the last eight years but with Bellingham controlling the midfield, this is a side that looks like it could make a serious mark on this season’s competition.
