Borussia Dortmund has been a fruitful hunting ground for Manchester City and that should continue.
Ilkay Gundogan was the first to swap the Rhine-Westphalia region for rainy Lancashire as he became Pep Guardiola's first signing for City in 2016. The midfielder arrived off the back of a serious injury and then suffered another one just a few games into his City career but managed to come back from those setbacks to play an incredibly important role in the Blues' success over the years. It was Gundogan's brace that sealed last season's Premier League title and he has now risen to be the club's captain.
It was then Dortmund who got a bit of joy out of the relationship when they signed Jadon Sancho, Jamie Bynoe-Gittens and Jayden Braaf over the years but this past summer City would raid the Bundesliga giants big time. First and most significantly, of course, was the signing of Erling Haaland.
Thanks to a release clause, the Norwegian sensation cost less than £50million and it's looking less a bargain and more the heist of the century with every passing game. A remarkable 14 goals in just nine matches already and there really is no telling just how high the tally will go.
Another bargain City managed to get from Dortmund was the £15m purchase of centre-back Manuel Akanji on deadline day. It was an unplanned and unexpected signing, but the Blues moved to add a bit more depth to their defensive options following knocks suffered by John Stones and Nathan Ake with Aymeric Laporte still recovering from surgery. It has already proved to be a shrewd move.
Akanji came in for his debut after just one training session and fitted seamlessly into the side. He has now started three games, in which only one goal has been conceded, and looks to have rapidly asserted himself in the side after only being initially signed as additional cover.
Signing players from Dortmund may have been so successful for City so far because the German club are excellent at not only unearthing potential but then honing their talents even further with great development in attacking and technical football. It makes the transition to City much easier for players to make.
The next star City should look to get from Dortmund is obvious. It's Jude Bellingham.
Though there hardly looks to be any weakness in Guardiola's squad, the midfield could have a very different complexion next year. Kalvin Phillips was brought in to replace Fernandinho but has struggled with injuries so far, limiting him to just 14 minutes of action. Bernardo Silva has wanted to leave for the last two summers to return closer to home and may wish to do so again. Gundogan's contract is set to expire and a renewal is not a foregone conclusion.
The amazing quality and depth City have in the middle of the park could take a heavy blow in 2023 and new blood could well be required. There isn't a much better prospect in the game than Bellingham.
It seems ridiculous as he's been playing professional football for so long but he is still just a teenager. It can be easy to forget that fact as he carries himself with the swagger and assuredness of a hardy veteran. Bellingham is already a fantastic player, with an abundance of composure in possession, a great eye for a pass, tenacity in the tackle, high energy, decisiveness in the final third and a real fire to his game.
He's this good at 19. Imagine how much better he can get in the years to come. Imagine how good he could get if he was coached by Guardiola. The ceiling for his potential is sky high and, just like Haaland did, the signing almost makes too much sense. Bellingham would be the perfect signing to fulfil the dynamic, box-to-box midfield role that Gundogan has done so well for so many years and would set City's midfield up for the next decade.
He's not going to come as cheap as Haaland, though. Not a chance. Even if the upcoming World Cup isn't the true coming out party that is expected, there's still little possibility of Dortmund letting him go for anything less than £100million at the very least.
But, with what City would be getting, Bellingham would be worth every penny.