Why wonderkid Bellingham should make a move to BVB

Wayne Rooney has been named as his footballing hero. So, it would follow that when Manchester United eventually get around to making a bid for Birmingham City teen ace Jude Bellingham, you might be right in thinking it could influence his decision. But don’t rule out a late bid by Borussia Dortmund.

The fee that will lure the St Andrews wonder kid away from life in the Championship is said to be in the region of £30million. And BVB are said to be more than willing to lay out that sort of money to land the talented teenager. And they have evidence that a switch to the Bundesliga could work very well indeed for the career path of the young hotshot. How so? Well, step forward a certain Jadon Sancho. One of the most in-demand players up for grabs this summer looks set to leave Signal Iduna Park for a whopping £120million, with Premier League side Chelsea said to be in the driving seat to capture the winger’s signature.

Sancho, of course, was at Manchester City and was seemingly being overlooked at the Etihad Stadium in terms of being given chances to shine in and around the first team picture. Yes, he was young at the time. And, yes, you could argue that aged 16 he was unlikely to get first-team appearances at a club that was, and is, challenging for major honours. Fair enough. But he obviously felt as if his progress was being restricted and his development was stuttering to some degree. Then BVB entered the scenario.

Sancho penned a deal with BVB on 31 August 2017 for a fee reported to be in the region of £8million (I know!) and was immediately included in the first-team squad. The rest, as they say, is history. Now he is being chased by Europe’s biggest clubs. And so, the joined-up thinking goes that if Bellingham wants to progress at the rate his talent would demand, perhaps he should consider a move to head coach Lucien Favre’s side.

At BVB, it seems that the adage, “if you are good enough, you are old enough” is one which is listened to. It certainly was with Sancho. So why not Bellingham? To sell him and his parents and the agents in to the idea would be easy; he would get more games with Dortmund than he would at Manchester United, he would gain international honours more quickly — and then, when he had developed and reached the majority of his potential as a player, he could make a move, perhaps back to the Premier League, where clubs such as the Old Trafford giants would be waiting.

All we need now is for Sancho to have a word with young Bellingham about the joys of BVB!