Man Utd's ‘secret weapon’ for Bellingham

Robin Bairner

• 1 May 2023 07:52 BST
• 3 min read

Manchester United have a ‘secret weapon’ in the pursuit of Borussia Dortmund midfielder Jude Bellingham.

Erik ten Hag’s side are one of a number of clubs tracking the England international star, who turns 20 later this year. Real Madrid and Manchester City, though, are thought to be leading the way for a youngster who is expected to fetch a transfer fee of more than €120 million.

Man Utd may be drawn back into the battle to sign the player thanks to the presence of new head of football negotiations, the Daily Mail reports.

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Matt Hargreaves took up the post in March and is said to have a relationship with Bellingham thanks to his experience at adidas, where the Dortmund star was one of a number of high-profile clients that he had dealings with.

Of course, this personal relationship is liable to give Man Utd an edge if negotiations are tight between themselves and the other leading contenders for the player. This personal touch might be just what the Red Devils need to get a deal done.

However, if the overall package is significantly poorer than that being offered by the likes of Madrid and Man City – both in terms of financial and with regards the overall vision of the club – then such a margin advantage is unlikely to swing the deal in the favour of Man Utd.

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Who will Jude Bellingham sign for?

FootballTransfers understands, meanwhile, that Liverpool are still in with a fighting chance of landing Bellingham, despite previous reports that they were out of the running due to the big sums of money involved in the deal.

Man Utd, meanwhile, are known to be in the market for a central midfielder, but Bellingham’s lavish asking price is certainly an off-putting factor given that the Red Devils also need to reinforce several areas of their team, with a centre forward, a central defender and a right-back all on Ten Hag’s summer shopping list.

Real Madrid and Man City remain favourites for Bellingham, despite this new favourable factor for Man Utd.