How Man United almost signed Jude Bellingham as Sir Alex Ferguson transfer tactic revealed

Four years ago this summer, Manchester United almost signed Jude Bellingham. Now, the midfielder's gearing up to face Bayern Munich in the Champions League semi-final second leg as Real Madrid look to win a sixth European title in 10 years.

Bellingham has enjoyed an incredible debut campaign at the Santiago Bernabeu following his £88m transfer from Borussia Dortmund in the summer. The England international has featured 26 times for Los Blancos in La Liga, scoring 18 goals and providing four assists.

He's played a crucial role in Carlo Ancelotti's side, helping Real Madrid win the Spanish top flight with four games to spare. With the league wrapped up, a Champions League winners medal would be the cherry on top for Bellingham.

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However, the Englishman's career could have taken a major turn – for the better (if that's even possible) or the worse – had he decided to join Manchester United in 2020. According to Sky Sports, the Red Devils submitted a bid in excess of £30m for Bellingham when he was just 16.

The report states that Manchester United were eager to sign the teenage sensation following a breakthrough campaign at Birmingham City. At the start of the 2019/20 campaign, Bellingham became the Blues' youngest player at 16 years and 38 days when he featured in a Carabao Cup first-round tie against Portsmouth.

He later snubbed Manchester United and joined Borussia Dortmund, while Birmingham City infamously retired the number 22 shirt. According to The Athletic, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer called upon Sir Alex Ferguson to help