Manchester United have joined the race for England and Borussia Dortmund star Jude Bellingham ahead of a likely move for the player next summer.
The 19-year-old midfielder’s game has gone up in leaps and bounds since his move to Germany from Birmingham City in 2020. Bellingham moved abroad for a reported £25million, a record for a 17-year-old. He was held in such high regard by everyone at Birmingham that they even retired Jude’s jersey number, 22, in his honour upon completion of the transfer to Dortmund.
Bellingham made his 100th appearance for the Black and Yellow this past weekend in their derby victory over Schalke. In this time, Bellingham has racked up 13 goals and provided 18 assists, as well as put in countless monstrous performances in the middle of the park, particularly in the UEFA Champions League.
The England International is widely expected to be the next young superstar to leave Dortmund, following Haaland this summer and Sancho the year before. According to The Athletic, however, BVB are demanding a fee of €150million to sanction the sale of Bellingham. This is significantly higher than the fees received for Sancho and Haaland, such is Bellingham’s importance to the current squad.
The €150million price tag would represent a new record sale for the Bundesliga, eclipsing the €125million Dortmund received for Ousmane Dembélé in 2017.
Man United join Liverpool, Real Madrid, Man City and Chelsea in the race to sign one of Europe’s hottest midfield prospects. Given the number of elite clubs interested in Bellingham’s services, it’s safe to assume this is likely to be the midfielder’s last season in Germany.
United could have signed Bellingham for a lot cheaper as they were offered the chance to contract the player before he moved to Dortmund. However, the player opted to join the Black and Yellow instead, citing their reputation for developing and integrating young players as the reason for his decision.
The Red Devils will have to fork out almost six times the price this time around if they’re to acquire Bellingham, as Dortmund seem set on not budging from their valuation.