German Bundesliga giants, Borussia Dortmund have confirmed the signing of 17-year-old Jude Bellingham from Birmingham. The teenage sensation who was unveiled on Monday morning cost the German side £25million.
This confirmation from Dortmund, means Jude Bellingham becomes world’s most expensive 17-year-old. It also means Manchester United who have been previously linked to the starlet, misses out in landing the Birmingham star.
According to reports, Jude Bellingham before his unveiling on Monday, flew to Germany for his medical last Thursday. He was unveiled on the official social media handle of the club, with a photo
showing several players welcoming the new addition by signing along to the infamous Beatles hit ‘Hey Jude’.
According to Dailymail, Jude Bellingham will earn £52,000-a-week after penning the bumper contract – a substantial increase from the £145 weekly pay packet he has been earning as part of his schoolboy terms at Birmingham.
Dortmund sporting director, Michael Zorc, has expressed his delight with the signing – and insisted Bellingham would be immediately fast-tracked into the club’s first-team set-up.
He said: ‘Jude Bellingham has decided with absolute confidence to pursue his career at Borussia Dortmund. The primary motivation behind his decision were the prospects on the pitch we were able to offer him
‘He has enormous potential, which we will continue to develop together with him over the coming years. He already boasts astonishing quality with and without the ball, and has a strong mentality to boot.
‘Jude will immediately strengthen our first team squad, but we will certainly give him all the time he needs to adapt to the higher level of play.’
Dortmund chiefs will harbour ambitions that Bellingham will become an invaluable asset in a similar vein to Jadon Sancho.
The young prodigy was highly coveted by several elite European clubs, despite having only broken into Birmingham’s first team this season, with Bayern Munich also falling by the wayside.
But after opting to head to North Rhine-Westphalia, Bellingham revealed his excitement to get started ahead of the new campaign.
‘I can’t thank Birmingham City enough for what they have done for me – not just this season, but since the age of 7,’ he said.
‘Of course, I wish everyone associated with the club nothing but the best. Once a blue, always a blue. However, I’m incredibly excited to have joined one of the biggest clubs in Europe.
‘The direction they are heading in and how much they help young players improve made it an easy decision for me personally and my family. I can’t wait to perform in front of over 80,000 fans when they are back inside one of the most beautiful stadiums in the world – hopefully as soon as possible!’