Manchester United failed to convince Jude Bellingham to sign for them in 2020 (Getty)
Rio Ferdinand claims Jude Bellingham rejected a move to Manchester United because he was not given assurances over a first-team place.
United pushed hard to sign Bellingham in 2020 and the club even brought in Sir Alex Ferguson to speak to the midfielder and his family during a tour of the club’s training ground.
However, Bellingham opted to join Borussia Dortmund and he signed for the German club that summer in a £22.75 million deal from Birmingham City.
Bellingham’s rapid progression at Dortmund sparked interest from several clubs across Europe with Manchester City and Liverpool among the frontrunners earlier this year.
However, the England international ended up signing for Real Madrid for an initial £88.5m.
United have been left to rue a huge opportunity in the transfer market but Ferdinand claims his former club failed to convince Bellingham that they could provide a clear path to the first team, who were managed by Ole Gunnar Solskjaer at the time.
Jude Bellingham won the Kopa Trophy at the 2023 Ballon d’Or awards on Monday (Getty)
‘Do you know what I heard it was… he [Bellingham] wanted some assurances about being a first-team player,’ Ferdinand said on Vibe with Five.
‘And United weren’t willing to give him those assurances, that’s what I heard from a very good source.
‘He wasn’t given assurances of being around the first team and he’s said, ‘do you know what, I know my worth, I know my value and if you don’t value me the way I see myself I’m going to have to jog on and go to another club’.
‘He’s gone and done that and he’s turned round and gone, ‘I told you guys, you didn’t believe me did you?’.
‘And he’s gone Real Madrid and he’s tearing down Real Madrid, he’s turning down the Bernabeu, they’ve just rebuilt it and he’s tearing it down! Unbelievable.’
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‘That’s what I heard from a very good source.’
