Why Arsenal failed to sign Jude Bellingham

Arsenal were close to signing Jude Bellingham for just £500,000, according to the Daily Mail.

The first scouting report compiled on Bellingham has been released. In it, the midfielder’s talent is profiled while he still played for home-town club Birmingham City.

It is claimed that Arsenal made an approach for Bellingham while he was turning out at U14 level.

A compensation package worth £500,000 was required to complete a deal, with the Gunners willing to pay.

However, an “unforeseen delay” saw the move collapse and Bellingham went on to sign a contract with Birmingham.

Bellingham eventually went to Borussia Dortmund in 2020, before completing a €103 million transfer to Real Madrid in the summer of 2023.