Best transfer announcement of the summer so far
Borussia Dortmund have won the race to sign Jude Bellingham from Birmingham City, confirming the transfer on Monday morning.
Belligham, 17, was being chased by several big clubs including Manchester United after impressing in the Championship for Blues, but has opted to sign for the Bundesliga side.
Dortmund's confirmation statement adds that despite his tender age, he will go straight into the professional squad, where he will play with his compatriot Jadon Sancho, whose decision to leave Manchester City for Dortmund in 2017 has been huge for his development.
"Jude Bellingham confidently chose BVB and, of course, was primarily concerned with the sporting perspective that we showed him," Dortmund's sporting director Michael Zorc said.
"He has enormous potential that we share want to develop with him in the coming years. He already has a surprising amount of quality in his own possession as well as against the ball, and on top of that, the player also has a strong mentality. We immediately see Jude as a reinforcement for our professional squad, but of course we will also give him the time to get used to the higher level."
The announcement was made in typically humorous style on Twitter, as several senior Dortmund stars sang Hey Jude by The Beatles. Get it? Because his name is Jude.
https://twitter.com/BlackYellow/status/1285137895712600064
