Borussia Dortmund have reportedly identified Borussia Monchengladbach midfielder Kouadio Kone as an ideal replacement for Jude Bellingham.
The future of the 19-year-old England international is already dominating the talk of the transfer market ahead of an expected big-money move this summer.
Bellingham remains under contract at Westfalenstadion until 2025, and Dortmund have not given up hope of tying the midfielder down to a fresh deal.
However, the consensus is that Bellingham will leave the Bundesliga giants ahead of the 2023-24 season amid links with Liverpool, Real Madrid, Manchester City and Manchester United.
Dortmund are supposedly holding out for a fee of £132m to sell Bellingham during the summer transfer window, which would leave Edin Terzic's side well-placed to scope out a ready-made replacement.
© Reuters
According to Sport1 - via Chronicle Live - Monchengladbach's Kone is a name on Dortmund's radar following the 21-year-old's quick adaptation to the top flight of German football.
Monchengladbach paid €9m (£7.9m) to bring Kone to the club from Toulouse in January 2021, although they loaned him back to the French side before welcoming him into the squad that summer.
Kone has since established himself as a key fixture in the heart of the Monchengladbach midfield, scoring four goals and providing two assists in 51 matches for the German club.
The 21-year-old has one goal and one assist to show from 21 Bundesliga starts this season - and he remains under contract with Monchengladbach until 2025 with the option of a further year.
Dortmund therefore cannot expect to land Kone on the cheap, but BVB should still have no trouble bowing to Monchengladbach's demands if they receive an expected nine-figure sum for Bellingham.
© Reuters
Dortmund are not alone in their pursuit of the France Under-21 international, though, as a separate report from Media Foot claims that Paris Saint-Germain and Newcastle United also hold an interest.
Newcastle are believed to have failed with an offer of €35m (£30.8m) for the 21-year-old last summer, which Monchengladbach rejected in the hope of receiving a more lucrative sum of money.
Amid the ongoing speculation surrounding his future, Bellingham has gone from strength to strength at Dortmund with 10 goals and six assists in 30 appearances across all competitions this term.
Since arriving from Birmingham in 2020, the teenager has scored 20 goals and set up 24 more in 120 matches, and he has also worn the captain's armband on four occasions this season.
Ben Knapton
