Borussia Dortmund midfielder Jude Bellingham is Manchester United’s “no.1” transfer target but their chances of signing him are “low”, according to Sky Germany reporter Florian Plettenberg.

The journalist believes that interest from Manchester City and Liverpool, combined with Financial Fair Play restrictions mean they might not be able to meet Dortmund’s sizeable asking price:

X News #Bellingham (1): He’s the transfer target No. 1 for #MUFC confirmed! They expect him to cost around €150m, they have scouted him a lot. Ten Hag wants him in 2023! But: Chances are low due to competition from #MCFC and #LFC and due to Financial Fairplay! @SkySportDE 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿

— Florian Plettenberg (@Plettigoal) November 7, 2022

It appears that United’s summer spending spree may hamstring their efforts to snap up Bellingham. They shelled out £220m on transfer fees which means they may not be able to compete with rivals if the bidding for Bellingham goes above £100m.

From Plettenberg’s comments, it seems as if manager Erik ten Hag is very keen on the Red Devils recruiting the England international but a deal looks pretty unlikely at this stage.

Alternatives, such as Benfica’s Enzo Fernandez, have been mentioned in recent days so we shall see whether United do switch targets away from Bellingham.