United set to miss out on Bellingham

OLE Gunnar Solskjaer refused to comment on reports Birmingham youngster Jude Bellingham has agreed to join Borussia Dortmund.

The Reds invited the teen and his parents to their Carrington training complex in March and the 17-year-old met Ed Woodward and Matt Judge, who is tasked with negotiating transfers.

M.E.N. Sport revealed Dortmund were among United’s competitors for Bellingham and stories in Germany on Thursday claimed the player has agreed to join the Bundesliga runners-up. M.E.N. Sport has also been told Bellingham favours a move to Dortmund because he believes he has a chance to start at Signal Iduna Park next season and won’t be loaned back to the Championship.

“I think there’s been loads of speculation linking us to every single talented player from the age of 15 to 25, really,” Solskjaer said. “I can’t comment on every single player that’s been linked with us. So no, I can’t really comment.”

Bellingham is likely to become the second youngster to reject United in favour of Dortmund this season after Erling Haaland.

England youth international Bellingham was given permission by Birmingham to meet interested parties at the start of the year so he could scope out the ideal club to move to.

Jadon Sancho - another United target this summer – left City for Dortmund aged 17 and has developed into one of the most coveted forwards in world football, which appears to have held sway with Bellingham.