Bayern Munich director Oliver Kahn has ruled out the prospect of his side making a move for Borussia Dortmund midfielder Jude Bellingham next year.
The 19-year-old is expected to be one of the most sought-after players on the market next summer amid talk of an anticipated move away from the Westfalenstadion.
Bellingham commanded a £22.5m fee to leave Birmingham City for Dortmund as a 16-year-old in 2020, and he has since made 101 appearances for the German giants in all tournaments.
Bellingham has registered 13 goals and 19 assists for the Black and Yellows in that time and won the DFB-Pokal in his first season in Germany.
The midfielder has also become a mainstay in the England setup under Gareth Southgate and is expected to be a starter for the Three Lions at the upcoming 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
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The likes of Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United, Chelsea and Real Madrid are all thought to be in the race to sign Bellingham, whose contract with Dortmund does not expire until 2025.
A possible move to Bayern has also been mooted, but the German champions are already well-stocked in midfield with Joshua Kimmich, Leon Goretzka, Marcel Sabitzer and Ryan Gravenberch, the latter of whom joined from Ajax in the summer transfer window.
When asked by Bild if a move for Bellingham was a possibility, Bayern director Kahn hailed the teenager as an "outstanding player" but insisted that his side were not considering a big-money move for the Dortmund man.
"We are not thinking about it at all. Of course Bellingham is an outstanding player. But we've Kimmich, Goretzka, Gravenberch, Sabitzer. I can say we're well-equipped in that position," Fabrizio Romano quotes Kahn as saying.
Dortmund are expected to hold out for a mammoth fee of €150m (£130.6m) to part ways with Bellingham, who has started all 11 of their games this season, contributing three goals and one assist.
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The ex-Birmingham youngster was on the verge of joining Man United before snubbing the Red Devils to join Dortmund, and Man United legend Bryan Robson has now admitted that the 20-time English champions thought they had won the race for his signature.
"Unfortunately for us he decided to move to Germany. We thought we more or less had him" Robson told The Sun. "Myself, Sir Alex [Ferguson] and Eric Cantona all met him with his mum and dad at Carrington and after that meeting we thought he was coming to us.
"Now there is talk about him moving next summer and you see Liverpool mentioned a lot. We thought we had him and he would have been a great signing for us. But he definitely has it in him to become a great player for England."
Bellingham is believed to be favouring a move to Real Madrid over a return to England, and the midfielder is next in action when Dortmund tackle Sevilla in Champions League Group G on Wednesday night.
Ben Knapton
