Jude Bellingham has been one of the standout performers for Birmingham City in the Sky Bet Championship so far this season.

The 16-year-old has scored three goals in 22 league appearances for Birmingham and is building a reputation as one of the most exciting and talented young players in the division.

With the transfer window now open, the midfielder has reportedly started to attract attention from a number of Europe's top clubs, with Liverpool, Manchester United, Bayern Munich and Barcelona all understood to be interested in him.

However, according to Sky Sports Transfer Centre (07/01, 16:41), Bellingham is set to remain at Birmingham until the end of the season, when he can sign a professional contract with the club when he turns 17.

Here are THREE reasons why Bellingham remaining at St Andrew's is the right decision at this stage of his career...

He's a guaranteed starter

Bellingham has been excellent for Birmingham so far this season and has been able to establish himself as one of the first names on the teamsheet.

He's pretty much guaranteed regular first-team football at the moment, which is so crucial for any young player at this stage of their development.

However, if he were to move to another team, there's no guarantee that he will start matches straight away. In fact, you could say it's rather unlikely.

If he were to move to a top Premier League club for example, he'd probably end up playing for their Under-23s and could even end up being sent out on loan.

The Birmingham fans love him

Bellingham is a special talent and his impressive displays for Birmingham in the Championship so far this season have quickly seen him become a fans' favourite at St Andrew's.

He's already formed a special bond with Blues supporters and they really appreciate him for the hard work he puts in on the pitch. If he were to depart the club, he'd be leaving that behind.

Eventually, there will come a time when he leaves Birmingham, but doing it so early in his career could leave a sour taste in the mouths of many Blues fans.

On top of that, he'd also need to prove himself to a new set of supporters at his new club and there's no telling how hard that could prove.

He can gain more Championship experience 

As mentioned earlier, Bellingham's performances for Birmingham so far this season have been so impressive that he's almost guaranteed to start matches and it's unlikely that he would get that at another club.

The experience he will gain from playing matches week in, week out - especially in a league as tough and competitive as the Championship - is invaluable and could help him go right to the very top.

Not many players get that opportunity at this stage of their career, so he needs to make sure that he makes the most of it, so remaining at Birmingham until the end of the season is a very smart decision.

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This way, when the time does come for him to leave the Blues, whenever that may be, he will have improved a lot as a player and will have far better chance of making an impact for his new club.

Thoughts? Let us know in the comments below.