Key reason stopped Arsenal from signing Jude Bellingham before Real Madrid in cut-price £25m transfer

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Arsenal were among a huge range of clubs who looked at signing Jude Bellingham before he truly broke out on the world stage.

The attacking midfielder was on the radar for many teams as he broke through into the first-team at Birmingham City.

After just a few appearances in the Championship, Jude Bellingham made the switch to Borussia Dortmund before progressing to Real Madrid.

Now, Arsenal will be facing off against him as a Champions League quarter-final with Real Madrid awaits.

However, it could’ve been so different as the Gunners were also in the picture to sign the talented youngster, but didn’t for one key reason.

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Arsenal didn’t make Jude Bellingham transfer move due to price tag

Arsenal are always in the market for young talent and were certainly among the interested parties for Bellingham in 2020.

Arsenal didn’t make a move for the 21-year-old as the club thought he was too expensive and, in the end, the England international chose Borussia Dortmund with their track record of producing promising young stars.

That’s according to former scout Francis Cagigao, who claimed the £25million price tag was already too much to pay.

“I saw him [Jude Bellingham] for the first time when he was 16 years old,” Cagigao told Diario AS in 2023.

“I wanted to sign him for Arsenal, but he was already too expensive. He is very good. What is clear is that if they [Chelsea] have paid that amount for Enzo [Fernandez], he is also going to pay for Bellingham.”

In the end, it was a move that went a different way and one that may come back to bite Arsenal in more ways than one.

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Jude Bellingham could make Arsenal pay for transfer mistake

It now seems quite clear that Arsenal missed out by not paying the £25million for Jude Bellingham, though there was no guarantee that he would develop into the player he is now.

The Real Madrid star could now punish the side in the Champions League over the coming two games.

Arsenal play host to Real Madrid at the Emirates Stadium in the first leg of the quarter-finals, before the reverse fixture at the Bernabeu.

The threat of Bellingham is one the Gunners will have to be wary of, given his ability to create individual moments of brilliance.

The former transfer target is capable of scoring or assisting plenty, meaning it will be key to stop him and ways to get teammates into the game.

He isn’t the only threat though, with such a dangerous frontline around Bellingham, but there is a clear individual battle to be won in the middle of the park.