Arsenal could have signed Jude Bellingham for just £500,000 but 'unforeseen' problem blocked the move

Arsenal missed out on signing Jude Bellingham for a bargain fee due to an ‘unforeseen delay’, it has been claimed.

Bellingham is among the most lauded players in world football after a remarkable start to life at Real Madrid.

Since securing an initial £89.6million move from Borussia Dortmund in June, the 20-year-old has claimed 10 goals and three assists in his first 10 Real encounters, with his efforts being rewarded with two Player of the Month awards in succession.

Moreover, Bellingham’s performances for England, most recently in a 3-1 victory over Italy, have had many Three Lions supporters dreaming of a first international trophy since 1966 next summer at the European Championships in Germany.

Bellingham was the most sought-after player of the summer before Real completed a deal for the Birmingham-born midfielder, with the likes of Manchester City, Liverpool, Manchester United and Paris Saint-Germain having all registered an interest.

Meanwhile, though Arsenal never appeared to have a chance of acquiring Bellingham in the summer, it has emerged that the Gunners could have signed the player for just £500,000 when he was a youngster.

The Daily Mail claimed, via Football365, it is “a little-known fact” that Arsenal were within “a whisker” of signing Bellingham from Birmingham’s academy when the player was playing for the Under-14s.

At the time the deal would have reportedly cost Arsenal around £500,000 in compensation, which was allegedly a sum they were willing to pay.

However, as per the publication, an “unforeseen delay” of no more than 48 hours in Arsenal signing off on the fee led to Bellingham signing terms with his beloved Birmingham.

SPORTbible are on WhatsApp! We've launched a dedicated news channel to send you the latest news, features and plenty more directly on WhatsApp and all you need to do to sign up is click through to our one-way broadcast channel here for 'SPORTbible News' to appear in the 'Updates' tab on your WhatsApp.

Topics: Football, Arsenal, Jude Bellingham, Transfers, Real Madrid

Chris Byfield

Sport journalist with experience writing on football, rugby, boxing and the Olympics. I'm also a Crystal Palace fan. Please don't hold this against me.