Manchester United appear to have lost out in the race to sign highly-rated Birmingham City star Jude Bellingham.
Reputable ESPN journalist Stephan Uersfeld reports that Borussia Dortmund are expected to announce the signing of the 16-year-old after convincing him that the Bundesliga was the best place to continue his development.
Bellingham has been the centre of a transfer saga this summer after it emerged he was likely to leave Birmingham. The midfielder has made 26 starts for the Blues this season and played 70 minutes on his Championship return in the 0-0 draw against West Brom on Saturday.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s interest in Bellingham has been well documented and the player who has already been described by many as a generational talent could have played a key part in United’s long-term rebuild.
As noted in ESPN’s report, Bellingham visited United’s Carrington training ground with his parents as the club looked to persuade him to move to Old Trafford.
But Dortmund, who have a good reputation for developing young talent, have now won the chase and are set to complete the £20m signing in the coming days.
This will come as another blow for Solskjaer who has already lost out to Dortmund in a transfer battle before when they were pursuing Erling Haaland in January.
On Sunday, we reported on a detailed analysis of the player and what makes him such an exciting young talent. It will be interesting to follow the progression of the teenager, despite the fact he will not be wearing the red of United.
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