Jude Bellingham turned down Manchester United despite the Red Devils offering twice as much as other suitors.
That's according to Dong Ren, who was chief executive at Birmingham City when Bellingham left the club in 2020. The teenage midfielder joined Borussia Dortmund for more than £20m, but the Bundesliga club are expected to make a big return on investment if and when he leaves Signal Iduna Park.
Bellingham's performances for club and country have seen him linked with Liverpool, Manchester City and Real Madrid. A fee of more than £100m has been mooted, further adding to United's pain at failing to convince the starlet to move to Old Trafford.
"Manchester United made the biggest offer compared to all others," Ren told Mundo Deportivo. "Bayern, Dortmund, Leicester, or small clubs like Wolves, they all called.
"Ed Woodward was the most insistent. We sat down to talk about how to convince Bellingham, but Jude didn't make any decisions based on money. They were offering much more compared to the rest, twice as much. He was guaranteed millions, but he didn’t take it. That's unusual for any player."
The former Birmingham chief added that United called upon club legends Alex Ferguson and Eric Cantona in an effort to convince Bellingham of the move. Chelsea, meanwhile, had former England midfielder Frank Lampard at the helm at the time and the then-manage attempted to convince the transfer target of his club's merits.
Where should Jude Bellingham move next? Have your say in the comments section
Man United weren't the only club to attempt to offer more than Dortmund, with Bayern Munich also attempting a last-minute offer. Reflecting on the transfer saga, Ren praised Bellingham, who was just 17 at the time of the move.
"I'm not saying other players only think about the money, but it's really hard to say no," he said. "That's why I give Bellingham so much praise. he chose Dortmund ahead of Bayern even though he might not win titles or earn as much money.
"He put his development ahead of everything else. How many players would do that? Nothing was guaranteed at Dortmund. It might not have worked out."
In two-and-a-half seasons with Dortmund, Bellingham has played 112 games and scored 19 goals. He earned his first senior England call-up in November 2020, just months after moving to Germany, and later scored his first goal for Gareth Southgate's side at the 2022 World Cup.
Dortmund's players are preparing to return to the club in January ahead of a warm-weather training camp, with the Bundesliga currently on its winter break. During the hiatus, Bellingham is expected to sit down with the higher-ups for a conversation about his future.
"I think Jude is the oldest 19-year-old I've ever seen," Dortmund manager Edin Terzic said in October. "He's great on and off the pitch. We are really happy with him. It's a win-win situation."
