Juventus wanted to sign Bellingham...for their RESERVES

5 Oct 2023 10:57 BST
4 min read

Jude Bellingham, Real Madrid, 2023/24 — © ProShots

Jude Bellingham has been one of the standout stars of world football this season since his move to Real Madrid but the England international could have been playing for Italian giants Juventus if things had gone differently.

Bellingham was one of the most coveted players on the market before Real beat their rivals to sign the 20-year-old from Dortmund for a fee of €103 million and he has already started repaying his pricetag by netting eight goals in his opening nine games.

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He joined Real after three seasons at Dortmund, having once again been in a transfer tug-of-war with a host of Europe’s top sides after deciding to leave his boyhood club Birmingham City.

ANALYSIS: How much is Jude Bellingham really worth?

Among the interested sides were Juventus and, according to Gazzetta dello Sport, Bellingham was open to a move to Italy, with the player and his family visting the club’s training ground and facilities in the spring of 2020.

Juve made an offer which was ‘tempting economically’ for Bellingham and would have seen the midfielder sent to the club’s under-23 team, with an eventual pathway to first team football.

However, Bellingham opted to move to Dortmund due to the Bundesliga side offering him an immediate spot in the first team, while also having a track record of developing youngsters such as Jadon Sancho, Ousmane Dembele and Erling Haaland.

Juve paying the price for Bellingham miss

Juventus could have had arguably the best young player in world football in their ranks had they gambled on offering Bellingham a greater role in the first team, however they have instead since struggled to add consistent quality to their midfield.

Paul Pogba is set to discover his fate after submitting a counter-analysis following his positive test for a banned substance, with the 30-year-old potentially facing a ban of up to four years.

BAN: Pogba replacement lined up by Juve ahead of potential ban

The Frenchman rejoined Juve last summer after his contract at Manchester United expired, however injuries and fitness issues saw him make just seven Serie A appearances in his first year back.

Signings such as Manuel Locatelli and Weston McKennie have yet to make the desired impact, while Adrien Rabiot is finally displaying his quality after four seasons with Juve but the 28-year-old is in the final year of his deal.

😏 Bellingham #Juventus #ChampionsLeague pic.twitter.com/cR1IeoKAJW
— PuebloJuve (@Pueblo_Juve) October 3, 2023

With Juve missing out on Champions League qualification last season, they may certainly have regrets over Bellingham’s choice, however the Englishman himself is already at the top of his game despite his tender age and could grow into a legendary midfielder for club and country.