Borussia Dortmund are confident of winning the race to sign 16-year-old Birmingham City midfielder Jude Bellingham, a report from Birmingham Live has claimed.

Bellingham has enjoyed a breakthrough year for Birmingham, with the performances of the teenager attracting the attention of a number of Europe's top clubs.

It has recently been claimed that Dortmund are battling Premier League duo Manchester United and Chelsea, as well as their Bundesliga title rivals Bayern Munich, for the services of Bellingham.

According to the latest reports however, it is Dortmund who are in pole position to complete the signing of the teenager.

It is thought that BVB remain optimistic of securing a deal for Bellingham despite putting their transfer activity on hold recently due to football's suspension, and that the German side will offer the midfielder a larger financial package than the one that will be put forward to him by Manchester United.

Dortmund are currently second in the Bundesliga table, four points behind Bayern with nine games of the season still to be played at some point.

So far this season, Bellingham has made 35 appearances in all competitions for Birmingham, scoring four goals and providing two assists.

The Verdict

This is an interesting one.

The size of Dortmund's infrastructure, fanbase and history means they would certainly be an attractive proposition for Bellingham, and you only have to look at the success Jadon Sancho has enjoyed there to see how beneficial this move could be for Bellingham.

However, it is of course worth noting that moving from England to Germany at such a young age and with so much expectation on him could also be a difficult thing for Bellingham to do, and you feel those sort of things also have to come into consideration when he decides on his next move in the game.