GARY NEVILLE reckons England's stars from Liverpool and Manchester City are laying ground work to try and sign midfield sensation Jude Bellingham.
He joked that "sneaky little sods" Jordan Henderson, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Phil Foden are all cosying up to the Borussia Dortmund ace while on World Cup duty.
Liverpool captain Henderson and Bellingham are good pals - despite the 13-year age gap between the pair.
Elsewhere Reds fans were sent into meltdown when Alexander-Arnold shared a snap of the pair together after they went for a stroll together in Qatar.
While Manchester United legend Neville also claimed City ace Foden was getting close to Bellingham.
And the pundit doesn't believe it to be a coincidence.
Neville told Sky: "The whole thing unnerves me!
"When I was in the camp sort of 15 years ago, I used to sort of get close to [Wayne] Rooney, close to Rio Ferdinand. All those players you thought you could just grab.
"Now you see Phil Foden next to Jude Bellingham, you see Trent Alexander-Arnold going for a walk with him, you see Jordan Henderson cuddling up to him at the end of the game.
"And you think 'you sneaky little sods', I know what you're trying to do you lot'."
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Neville conceded that Bellingham appears more likely to end up at City or Liverpool, rather than his beloved Red Devils.
He continued: "That's the reality of it at this moment in time. [Bellingham] is more likely to go to Liverpool and Manchester City, just because of where they are at, what they are doing.
"But you can't rule out one of the big European clubs either, and you can't certainly rule out what Chelsea or Manchester United might try and do financially to try and sort of wrestle him away."
Bellingham has been strongly linked with a big money move in 2023, and his performances at the World Cup will only fuel more speculation.
Liverpool, Real Madrid and Manchester City are reported to be the three frontrunners to sign Bellingham, with Manchester United claimed to be out of the running.
