Jude Bellingham set to withdraw from England squad amid injury concerns
Jude Bellingham is tipped to miss upcoming Euro 2024 qualifiers for England next month through injury amid fears the Real Madrid-bound starlet could require knee surgery.
At just 19, Bellingham was named Bundesliga Player of the Season for 2022/23, having taken Dortmund to the brink of their first title for 11 years.
But, having missed out against Augsburg earlier in May, the English teenager stayed on the bench for the crunch finale against Mainz at the weekend. Without him, Dortmund going on to draw 2-2 and allowing Bayern Munich to surge past them at the death to claim an 11th consecutive German crown.
Bellingham was already sporting heavy strapping on his left knee during the final weeks of the season as it was and his appearance against Borussia Monchengladbach on 13 May, during which he scored, is likely to have been his last game for Dortmund.
Sadly, there could be no glorious sunset on his three years with the club.
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"He didn't feel [fit] before the game," Dortmund boss Edin Terzic said after the Mainz draw. "He told us he didn't feel ready to start and if we needed him, we could put him on for a couple of minutes. He was very sad and emotional but I'm quite sure he's a winner. He'll win so many trophies in his career and, for that, he needs to stay fit and healthy and recover as quickly as possible."
The Daily Mail has reported that Bellingham is not expected to feature when England soon face Malta and North Macedonia on 13 June and 16 June respectively. He was named in the squad announced by England boss Gareth Southgate last week, but is considered likely to withdraw.
The bigger concern would be that the issue could require surgery to correct.
Bellingham is set to be the subject of one of the most expensive transfers in football history this summer. Liverpool were in the running for the former Birmingham player but pulled out over the anticipated cost of a potential deal, with Real Madrid winning the battle with Manchester City.
Bellingham has agreed personal terms with Real over a proposed six-year contract that would tie him to Los Blancos until 2029. His buyout clause with the Spanish giants is set to be €1bn. A deal between the clubs is also getting closer after meetings in Germany last week hammered out the structure - an initial €100m and a further €50m in add-ons. 90min understands that Real had offered players in part-exchange to try and lower the price, but Dortmund wanted cash only.