Man United suffers setback: English wonderkid chooses Dortmund over them
Red Devils placed their long-term interest in Birmingham City midfielder Jude Bellingham.
Even before the start of the transfer window, Manchester United seem to have lost the race in their pursuit of teenage midfield prospect, Jude Bellingham to Borussia Dortmund.
For luring the English prodigy to Old Trafford, the club’s chiefs arranged a personalised tour for the 16-year-old alongside legendary and former manager, Sir Alex Ferguson.
However, citing limited first-team opportunities at his age, Bellingham and his parents have decided to accept Dortmund’s enticing proposal of working alongside the senior squad, citing the example of fellow compatriot Jadon Sancho.
Bellingham – Birmingham City’s youngest ever debutant at 16 years and 38 days – with his tenacity and guile, caught the attention of multiple top clubs in Europe as they envisaged a player who could be successful for the long-term. Man United, Borussia Dortmund, and Chelsea were among the frontrunners for the teenager’s services.
More from Manchester United
- Arsenal transfer news: Mikel Arteta rivals Manchester United for wonderkid
- Manchester United: Erik ten Hag pinpoints 4 players amid Brighton loss
- Manchester United predicted lineup vs Bayern Munich – UEFA Champions League 2023/24
- 3 reasons why other clubs are ‘annoyed’ by Erik ten Hag and Manchester United
- Manchester United: Erik ten Hag’s constant “crybaby” excuses don’t add up
With time passing for Bellingham
With the passing time, Dortmund and Man United were the only clubs Bellingham wanted to choose his next destination from. Despite his inclination towards a move to Germany, Man United’s sincere efforts caused the Birmingham youngster to reconsider his choice.
Previously, it was believed that Dortmund’s chase hit a stumbling block due to a disagreement with Birmingham City over the transfer fees, despite reaching consensus with the player’s camp for personal terms, as per SPORT BILD.
On the contrary, recent reports from ESPN suggest that Man United have lost out in the race as Birmingham City have agreed on Die Borussen’s £20m proposal for Jude Bellingham. As things stand, both parties have found a major breakthrough in the negotiations and the deal is expected to be wrapped up soon.
Man United not heartbroken
Despite missing out on one of Europe’s hottest prospects, Manchester United are not too dishearted about it as they are well aware of Dortmund’s business model – which is highly correlated on the premium earned via player sales.
The word coming out of Old Trafford suggests that they will once again try for the player as and when the situation allows for it. Now, the focus is on attaining their prime targets – believed to be Jadon Sancho and Jack Grealish.
Related Story. Giggs endorses United’s interest in Grealish. light