Man City: Haaland could be 'in the ear' of £130m star at the Etihad

Manchester City have ‘suddenly’ emerged as potential candidates to sign Jude Bellingham, largely thanks to Erling Haaland, according to Sky Sports reporter Dharmesh Sheth.

Bellingham is set to be one of the most in-demand stars during next summer’s transfer window, and the race to secure his signature has already begun amongst Europe’s top clubs.

In a recent report by The Athletic, City were named among Bellingham’s lengthy list of potential suitors, but the competition for his services is expected to be fierce.

Manchester United, Liverpool, Chelsea and Real Madrid are all said to ‘retain a strong interest’ in the England international, while Dortmund have not given up hope of keeping him at the Signal Iduna Park.

“Hopefully he can stay, next season and for a long time. We try to keep our best players,” Dortmund sporting director Sebastian Kehl recently told BT Sport. “But in the end, money is another aspect and England pays a lot more than Germany.”

However, if Bellingham does push for a move, the Bundesliga outfit are adamant he is valued at around €150 million (£131.6m) due to his outstanding potential and the fact his contract isn’t set to expire until 2025.

The Sun has also claimed that Haaland has informed his former teammate just how move he is loving life at the Etihad Stadium, potentially swinging the balance of power in their favour.

In an interview with GiveMeSport, Sheth said: “These reports are out there that he’s spoken to Jude Bellingham.

Read more: Champions League 2022/23: Fixtures, Draw, Dates, Schedule, Final, Teams and Everything We Know So Far

“A lot of talk was it’s almost a done deal to Liverpool, it looked like that was going to be his destination. But suddenly, you’ve got a player who has played