Manchester United have set their sights on Real Madrid midfielder Jude Bellingham, according to a shock report in the Spanish press, as TEAMtalk analyses why manager Ruben Amorim needs to forget about signing the England international midfielder anytime soon.
We have consistently reported that Man Utd are on the hunt for a new midfielder in 2026. Signing a dynamic player who can impose himself in the middle of the park and play as one of the two pivots in Amorim’s 3-4-2-1 formation is of the utmost importance to the Red Devils.
Adam Wharton, Joao Gomes, Elliot Anderson and Carlo Baleba are on Man Utd’s radar, and so is Sunderland midfielder Noah Sadiki.
E-Noticies has now revealed that Man Utd have their eyes on Jude Bellingham, too.
Bellingham cannot be pigeonholed into a defensive midfielder, with his all-round game, ability to arrive in the opposition’s penalty area to score goals, linking up with his team-mates and operating in a box-to-box role, making him one of the most complete midfielders in the world at the moment.
Man Utd are said to be ‘preparing a €150million (£131.7m, $176m) offer’ for the Real Madrid midfielder, which would make the England international the Red Devils’ most expensive signing of all time.
Paul Pogba holds the record for being the record arrival for Man Utd, who paid Juventus €105m (£92.2m, $123.2m) in 2016 to bring the French midfielder to Old Trafford.
The report in E-Noticies notes: ‘At Old Trafford, they dream of signing Jude Bellingham, convinced he can become the organisational axis of the new English project.
‘That multimillion-euro investment reflects the British club’s ambition to regain immediate competitiveness with a dominant-profile leader.’
The report has added that Madrid president Florentino Perez is ‘unlikely’ to sell Bellingham in 2026.
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Man Utd ‘dream’ of signing Jude Bellingham will NOT become reality
E-Noticies is a modest Catalan news outlet, so one needs to question how it could get hold of such a big piece of information about Man Utd and Bellingham.
Given the rivalry between Real Madrid and Barcelona, it is hard to see anyone from Bellingham’s camp divulge such information to E-Noticies.
No reliable sources in the English media are reporting Man Utd’s interest in Bellingham, so one needs to take the rumour with more than just a pinch of salt.
However, one must note that Man Utd’s previous interest in Bellingham has been well-documented.
Back in the summer of 2020, Man Utd tried to convince Bellingham to switch to Old Trafford before he left Birmingham City for Borussia Dortmund.
Sky Sports reported at the time: ‘In their attempts to sign the teenager, United rolled out the red carpet for Bellingham and his family, who were impressed by their tour of the Aon Training Complex at Carrington, which featured an audience with Sir Alex Ferguson.
‘United coaches and recruitment staff had been monitoring the midfielder’s development for almost two years and, in doing so, built a close relationship with his family and their coaching counterparts at Birmingham City, who have forged a reputation for producing impressive young players.’
However, Bellingham chose to go to Dortmund because he had an immediate pathway into the starting line-up, unlike at Man Utd, who were willing to offer him more money than the German club.
It would be remiss to suggest that Man Utd would not like a second bite at the cherry, but that ship has sailed now.
Bellingham is now playing for (arguably?) the biggest club in the world, Real Madrid, and won LaLiga and the Champions League with Los Blancos in his very first season (2023/24).
The Englishman is only 22, and it would be ridiculous to even think that Madrid would sell Bellingham in 2026, even for €150m.
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Meanwhile, sources have told TEAMtalk’s transfer correspondent, Graeme Bailey, that a Manchester United defender is a long-term target for Real Madrid.
A Crystal Palace star’s ‘dream’ is to play for Man Utd, but his compatriot wants him to move to Liverpool instead.
And finally, Man Utd are keen on signing a Sunderland midfielder, but Graeme Bailey has revealed that it may not be possible in the middle of the season.