Manchester United are yet to breach the £100 million mark for a transfer deal but Jude Bellingham is worth every penny.
This summer, Manchester United deemed Elliot Anderson too expensive and walked away from the negotiation table, leaving Manchester City to strike a £130 million deal.
United’s biggest transfer deal remains the £89 million paid for Paul Pogba in 2016. Since then, Premier League rivals Arsenal, Manchester City, Chelsea, Liverpool and Tottenham have all breached the £100 million mark in the transfer market.
Ineos prefer to shop for market opportunities, but Jude Bellingham should be an exception to their policy and his England performance against Mexico proved why.
Which transfer targets do you NOT want Man Utd to sign?
Let's turn the transfer question on it's head, and give Jason Wilcox some advice…
Man United should be desperate to sign Jude Bellingham
In England’s 3-2 win over Mexico, Thomas Tuchel’s side showed incredible resilience, determination and grit to grind out a victory at the Azteca Stadium.
No one embodied England’s spirit quite like Bellingham. Not only did the 23-year-old score twice, but he also made a goal-line clearance and ran himself into the ground for his nation.
It was a performance for the ages, and Bellingham showed the kind of character and attitude that would make him an instant favourite at Old Trafford.
Even after the performance, Bellingham remained humble in his comments: “It was a team [performance]. Absolutely every single player played their part. No one player did something more than the other; everyone played the exact part that they had to play.”
United came close to signing Bellingham in 2020 but missed out on the teenage sensation to Borussia Dortmund.
Bellingham then made an £88.5m move to Real Madrid in 2023, and his value will continue to soar if he continues to perform like he did for England at the Azteca.
There is already huge regret over not signing Bellingham at Old Trafford, and Ineos should be desperate to correct the mistake and bring him to Manchester in the future.
Should Manchester United break the transfer record in summer 2026? Who should we target?
Who has been Manchester United's best and worst big money signings?
Jude Bellingham should be Man United’s top Bruno Fernandes replacement
United captain Bruno Fernandes has entered the history books at Old Trafford not only for his performances on the pitch, but for his attitude and character off it.
That same kind of leadership and confidence is visible in Bellingham, and it makes the England star a perfect replacement for when Fernandes finally leaves Old Trafford.
Fernandes stayed loyal to United and rejected a £100 million move to Saudi Arabia last year, and Ineos want to continue with the Portuguese playmaker at the heart of this side.
But the time will come when United have to replace Fernandes, and Bellingham is the one and only candidate capable of doing it.
READ MORE: How Marcus Rashford reacted to England’s altitude concerns vs Mexico shows his elite mentality
Bellingham not only plays in the same position as Fernandes, but he also has the leadership qualities that will help to fill the void when he leaves.
Replacing Fernandes seems impossible, but a £100m+ deal for Bellingham is the best option out there for United.
Receive a digest of our best United content each week direct to your mailbox
