Following months of constant speculation it looks as though Jude Bellingham will be swapping the famous black and yellow of Borussia Dortmund for the famous white of Real Madrid this summer.
It emerged on Wednesday afternoon that the Spanish giants have made headway in their attempts to secure the signature of the most talked-about 19-year-old in world football this summer, almost certainly quashing any hopes that Manchester United still had of luring the England international to Old Trafford. United rolled out the red carpet for Bellingham when he visited Carrington in March 2020, flanked by his parents, and they had not given up hope of giving it a second outing.
Bellingham has blossomed into one of the most exciting footballers on the planet since swapping Birmingham City for Dortmund in July 2020, meaning it is no surprise that Madrid have made their move. He is a generational talent and the Spanish side will be lucky to have him.
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For United, however, it means they are going to be left to explore alternative options to strengthen their midfield department this summer, though they always accepted they were never at the front of the queue for Bellingham's signature.
Erik ten Hag is a massive fan of the England ace and was understood to have told confidants last year that if he could sign any player in the world it would be Bellingham. That ship, however, has now seemingly sailed and United cannot afford to feel sorry for themselves, especially when it was always going to be an uphill struggle to sign him.
United have plans to strengthen their midfield options this summer with a younger and more dynamic operator, hence why Bellingham would have been a tailor-made fit. Ten Hag is still in the dark over the size of his summer transfer kitty because of the ongoing takeover speculation and the addition of a striker is going to take preference over bolstering any other position, meaning avoiding getting caught up in the Bellingham battle might, in fact, turn out to be a good thing.
But what other avenues should United start to explore in their search for a central midfielder? Everyone will, of course, have their opinion on who would be an ideal fit and you can almost guarantee that Frenkie de Jong's name will soon be trending again. Everyone remembers last summer, of course.
Alternatively, though, Wolverhampton Wanderers ace Ruben Neves could be both a suitable and sensible option for United and Ten Hag to consider. The Portuguese international has regularly been linked with a switch to Old Trafford over the last couple of years and this forthcoming summer could represent a perfect opportunity for the Reds, plus any other suitors, to make their move.
That is because Neves' contract at Molineux is up in June 2024, meaning there is a possibility that Wolves, should they be unable to tie him down to a new deal, could listen to offers this summer, avoiding the risk of losing him for nothing 12 months later. The 26-year-old is a seasoned Premier League operator and would bring a varied skillset to United, featuring a wide passing range, an ability to dictate proceedings, long-range shooting, defensive nous and more.
He has been a consistent operator ever since joining Wolves, who were a Championship club at the time, back in July 2017 and he has racked up more than 170 Premier League appearances. Therefore, such is his current contract situation at Molineux, just exploring the possibility of signing Neves this summer might be too good an opportunity to turn down.
Granted, the prospect of signing Neves would not be as sexy a signing as Bellingham would be, nor would he be a staple in the United squad for as long as the latter would be. However, the Wolves ace has regularly been linked with the likes of Arsenal, Liverpool and even Barcelona in the past, meaning it is obvious that big-name heavyweights are aware of just how good he is.
He can sit deep and offer a layer of defensive protection as well as being equally capable of fulfilling the duties of a box-to-box midfielder. He can control matches, too, meaning he would give United a key characteristic that Ten Hag is always demanding.
He has shown United's supporters first-hand what he is capable of, embarrassing the Reds during a 1-0 win for Wolves at Old Trafford in January 2022 with an outstanding midfield display. They wanted him then and this summer could be an opportunity to make that wish come true.
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