Man Utd have already rolled out red carpet for Jude Bellingham

Man Utd and ten Hag face manic 42-day period

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Manchester United are hoping second time’s a charm when it comes to signing Borussia Dortmund star Jude Bellingham. The 19-year-old is set to be pursued by the Red Devils, with Erik ten Hag identifying him as a leading target for next summer’s transfer window. They’ve already rolled out the red carpet for the England international once before, so Express Sport will now look back at how they missed out on securing his signature two years ago.

Back in the summer transfer window of 2020, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer identified his top targets as he sought to build a dynasty at Old Trafford.

Jadon Sancho was on his wishlist, though the forward would end up signing from Borussia Dortmund 12 months later instead due to the Red Devils’ refusal to pay his £108million price tag.

So too was Jack Grealish, with Donny van de Beek arriving as an alternative when the former Aston Villa star was deemed too expensive.

And United also wanted to strike a deal for Bellingham, who was strutting his stuff for Borussia Dortmund at the time.

In March 2020, the Red Devils decided to be bold. They invited the player, who was just 16 at the time, to their Carrington training complex to show what he’d be in for if he moved to Old Trafford.

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According to the Manchester Evening News that year, both Matt Judge and Ed Woodward were snapped leaving the base following Bellingham’s trip as they looked to wrap up a deal.

Birmingham gave their young asset the chance to meet potential suitors, with senior United staff on hand to greet Bellingham.

Among them were Sir Alex Ferguson, whose charm offensive was considered a good weapon in United’s arsenal, and Bryan Robson.

The Red Devils put all their resources into a deal despite knowing at the time that Borussia Dortmund were in pole position to recruit the teenager.

Yet unfortunately for them, they missed out.

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United ultimately left their pursuit of the midfielder too late, with Dortmund already gazumping them with the promise of regular first team football.

It was a blow for Solskjaer, who felt Bellingham would have been the perfect long-term replacement for the likes of Ander Herrera and Marouane Fellaini.

United did end up bolstering their midfield in 2020 by landing Van de Beek, who had been shining with Ajax at the time.

Yet the Netherlands international is now considered a substantial flop, having made just four Premier League starts since moving to England.

This summer, United are set to try again for Bellingham with Ten Hag believing the 19-year-old can be a huge asset for many years to come.

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But the Red Devils aren’t the only superpower eyeing a deal for the England star, who is set to go to the World Cup in Qatar later in the year.

Liverpool are interested, with Jurgen Klopp having money to spend next year after a relatively quiet transfer window.

Manchester City, as the best team in the country these days, are lurking as well despite having Kalvin Phillips and Rodri at their disposal.

And Real Madrid are big admirers of Bellingham, though it’s worth noting Los Blancos are already stacked when it comes to midfield options.

Speaking recently, meanwhile, former United star Ben Foster expressed a belief Bellingham would shine with the Red Devils if he made the move next summer.

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“For me personally, I would love to see him go to Manchester United,” he said.

“I think he would thrive more at Manchester United, he’d have more responsibility and I think he would enjoy it there more.

“I think he would know he’s the main man.

“I worry that if he went to a club like Man City he might just sort of [end up] a little like Jack Grealish.”

Bellingham isn’t the only midfielder United are eyeing, with Frenkie de Jong in their sights despite the club’s failure to acquire the Barcelona star back in the summer.

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