Former scout reveals truth behind Chelsea's EXTENSIVE Jude Bellingham pursuit

Cameron Smith

• Updated: 30 Apr 2024 19:22 BST
• 3 min read

A former Chelsea scout has admitted that Chelsea produced 62 reports on Jude Bellingham before attempting to sign him as a 16-year-old.

Bellingham, now 20, opted to remain at Birmingham City instead of joining the Blues, despite the west London club’s best efforts to land him as a teenager.

The England international was one of the most sought-after players in the country during his time in Birmingham’s academy, with Manchester United also heavily interested in acquiring him.

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One of Chelsea’s former scouts has detailed the extent of their interest in Bellingham, which dates back to his time as an Under-12 player.

What has been said?

Yousuf Sajjad, an ex-Blues scout, told Rising Ballers: “Jude Bellingham, for example, [is] probably the most work I’ve ever done on a player.

“We had reports on him from when he was an Under-12 all the way up to Under-16. We had 62 reports from 25 different scouts!”

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Sajjad was then asked why Chelsea were unable to convince Bellingham to move to Stamford Bridge.

“I think it was just a time where there wasn’t really a pathway,” he replied. There just weren't many examples, at that point, where he could say ‘this would be a good move for me to join.’ He obviously chose the right path [in hindsight].

“At the time we also had Tino Anjorin, who was flying at the time, and Mason Mount. Players in his position who were also of a real good level.”

Anjorin, 22, is currently on loan at Portsmouth, while Mount helped Chelsea win the Champions League in 2021 before joining Manchester United for €64.2 million last summer.

As for Bellingham, he eventually left Birmingham to sign for Bundesliga giants Borussia Dortmund in 2020. The Englishman then joined Real Madrid in 2023 and he has racked up 31 goal contributions in just 34 games for Los Blancos.