Chelsea handed huge boost in race for £130M-rated star who could be Jorginho replacement in January.

 Chelsea handed huge boost for £130M-rated Jorginho replacement. 

Chelsea have been handed an advantage in the pursuit for Dortmund's Jude Bellingham. The 19-year old has long been in the radar of Chelsea and other Premier League clubs including Liverpool and City. The Blues in particular need a long-term midfield option should Jorginho or N'Golo Kanté leave next summer per the Athletic and following Real Madrid's current decision, Chelsea could be closer to wrapping a deal for him soon. 

According to Spanish news outlet Sport, Los Blancos' are not prepared to meet the German side's valuation of Bellingham, which currently stands at an eye-watering £130million. This could leave the door open for Graham Potter as he looks to stamp his philosophy at Chelsea.

Signing Bellingham could be easier than originally thought, with Dortmund chief executive Hans-Joachim Watzke admitting that the player can leave in the summer if he wishes.

As quoted by ESPN, Watzke claimed that the German side can not compete with the wages being offered by other top-flight European sides. He said: "We will hold talks now, as soon as [the World Cup in] Qatar is over, and then we'll have a fundamental talk about what he would like.

"He just needs to tell us if he'd like to stay or if he'd like to go. In both cases, we'll talk about it very pleasantly and reasonably together.

"In general, we can imagine that he'd stay with us, but we can't behave as if this topic wasn't on the table. If he says, 'I'd like to do something else,' then the really big [clubs] in Europe will be there, and we can't afford to fight financially."

Mike Keegan of the Daily Mail claims that Pep Guardiola's side have a strong relationship with Dortmund, which could hand them a huge advantage in negotiations. But Chelsea will be willing to break the bank to strengthen their midfield options this summer.