How close was Bellingham to signing for Man Utd?
FT Desk
- 13 Sept 2022 08:00 BST
- 2 min read
Manchester United were interested in signing Borussia Dortmund star Jude Bellingham, but were never close to actually buying him.
That is according to Fabrizio Romano, who reports that the Red Devils were interested in buying the England international before he moved to Dortmund.
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Bellingham is regarded as one of the most promising young talents in world football and has been ever since he joined Dortmund from Birmingham for €29 million in 2020.
This made him the most expensive 17-year-old in history.
Man Utd had long been considered favourites to sign Bellingham when he made the move from Birmingham, so how close were they to actually buying him?
Man Utd interest in Bellingham
“Honestly, it was never close between Man United and Bellingham in the past,” Romano wrote in his CaughtOffside column.
“They were interested alongside many other clubs including Premier League sides and Juventus, but he only wanted Borussia Dortmund as the perfect step for his future – in my opinion, a very smart call.”
Bellingham has since blossomed into a top midfielder in the Bundesliga, making 98 appearances in all competitions for Dortmund and scoring 12 goals.
Still only 19, he has also been capped 15 times by England and he went to Euro 2020.
He is expected to be named in Gareth Southgate’s World Cup squad for Qatar in November.
Bellingham’s future at Dortmund past this current season is clouded in doubt as a host of big clubs are interested in signing him.
These included Man Utd again, but also the likes of Liverpool, Man City, Chelsea, PSG and Real Madrid.
