Man Utd's failed pursuit of Bellingham transfer may not have been wasted

Jude Bellingham may ultimately have chosen Borussia Dortmund over Manchester United in the summer of 2020, but the work the Red Devils put in may not have been wasted.

The midfielder had starred for Birmingham City in the Championship in his breakthrough campaign over the course of the 2019/2020 season.

Though it was a disappointing year for Blues, Bellingham stood out markedly with his performances and it became obvious he would be moving on at the end of the season.

United and Dortmund emerged as the two frontrunners for his signature, with both clubs putting in serious efforts to convince him to join.

Manchester United's work to sign Jude Bellingham in 2020 could put them in pole position to sign the midfielder in future years

Dortmund's track record of developing young players into superstars ahead of big money moves ultimately saw them beat off the competition of United.

And it is a move that has proved to be a roaring success so far, with Bellingham's first year in the Bundesliga bringing him into England contention.

He scored four goals and notched four assists for the Black and Yellow in his debut campaign, becoming a regular in central midfield.

Bellingham also played a pivotal role in Dortmund's run to winning the DFB-Pokal, with the young star playing 45 minutes of the final.

If Bellingham's first season was good, his second looks set to be even better, with the 18-year-old having already matched his assists tally for last season within seven games.

That includes a goal and an assist against Besiktas in Dortmund's opening Champions League game of the campaign.

But despite only signing a new contract in the summer, it is widely expected that Bellingham will return to England at some point in the future.

And according to The Sun, United's work during their battle with Dortmund has put them in pole position.

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Bellingham has starred for Dortmund since joining the Bundesliga side ( Image:

Getty Images)

Chelsea and Manchester City are both said to be interested, but it was United's attempts to convince Bellingham to join a year ago that has put them ahead of their rivals.

Bellingham was introduced to both Sir Alex Ferguson and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer during a tour of the United training ground in April 2020.

And that appears to have left a lasting impression on the Englishman, with The Sun claiming Bellingham and his family remain impressed by the lengths United went to.

It is also said that his memories of United are "extremely fond ones", with United left to hope their work last year will pay off when Bellingham decides the time is right to leave Signal Iduna Park.

At the moment, that decision looks to be some way off, with the 18-year-old still having four years remaining on his updated contract.

But if they are able to secure the services of Bellingham, it will be a major boost to United, with midfield a major headache for Solskjaer.

His current options in central areas have been unconvincing, with a player in the mould of Bellingham arguably the final thing preventing United from being true title contenders.