Frank Lampard has claimed that the Chelsea hierarchy blocked him from signing a teenage Jude Bellingham long before the midfield talent became the superstar he is today.
Even with his reputation as one of the brightest youngsters in world football from three seasons at Borussia Dortmund, Bellingham has arguably exceeded expectations since joining Real Madrid.
His 13 goals and three assists in all competitions is responsible for 55% of the team's entire output across La Liga and the Champions League. Even at €134m (£117m) with add-ons, and therefore the most expensive English player in history, the 20-year-old looks like a bargain for Madrid.
But his future could have been so different had Lampard, during his first spell as Chelsea boss, managed to persuade the club to part with the cash that Birmingham wanted.
"When I was managing at Chelsea, I was desperate to bring Jude Bellingham in. But I couldn't get it through upstairs…the idea of paying £20m for someone his age," Lampard told former teammate John Obi Mikel on the Obi One Podcast.
Having played Under-18 football for Birmingham City at the age of 14, Bellingham was just 38 days past his 16th birthday when he made his first-team debut in August 2019. His potential was clear and throughout that season the teenager was linked with a high profile transfer.
Manchester United were very interested, before Dortmund won the race in 2020.
Speaking in 2022, former Birmingham chief executive Xuandong Ren revealed that Bellingham was not motivated by money when choosing where to go. Manchester United offering double the salary package of other suitors was not enough, while Lampard "did not convince him" to choose Chelsea.
"[Former Man Utd chief] Ed Woodward was the most insistent. We sat down and talked about how we could convince Bellingham. But Jude didn't make any decisions based on money," Ren told Spanish publication Mundo Deportivo.
"[United] offered a lot more salary compared to the rest...double. He was going to have guaranteed millions in the bank and he didn't take them. That's not normal for a player at all. He sat down with [Ole Gunnar] Solskjaer, until Woodward brought [Sir Alex] Ferguson one day, another day [Eric] Cantona, to try to convince him."
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This article was originally published on 90min as Frank Lampard claims Chelsea blocked Jude Bellingham transfer.