Manchester United lagging behind in Jude Bellingham pursuit

If before the World Cup the race for Jude Bellingham was a marathon, it is now a grand prix. The 19-year-old English midfielder has been in scintillating form in Qatar, with praise fluttering down on him from the galleries. It means that race will have more money, more glamour and it will be much faster.

There have been three candidates in the frame for his signature seemingly receiving the most attention; Liverpool, Manchester City and Real Madrid. More recently, Manchester United have also been mentioned as a potential candidate, although others say that they have given up as they do not see it as a viable possibility.

That was put to Fabrizio Romano by Caught Offside.

“As far as I understand, it’s not that Manchester United are out of the race.”

“They want Bellingham but they know Liverpool, Manchester City and Real Madrid have different power on the market at this stage of their project. So Man United will try but they know it’s more than difficult. Focus now is on January, not on June yet.”

Those comments were made in his exclusive column on Tuesday. It is worth noting that Romano feels Bellingham’s future will be decided after January, as clubs jockey for position.

For Real Madrid, their chances of competing on a financial level are slimmer. Their best strategy persuading Bellingham to join them will be to sell the glamour and institutional significance of Real Madrid, as well as their European success. Their weight has to be based on more than cold cash.