A host of clubs are chasing the 19-year-old – who shone for England at the World Cup – with Liverpool and Real Madrid believed to be leading the race, though Manchester City and Chelsea are also interested.
Any deal for Bellingham is likely to set a new transfer record for a British player, with Borussia Dortmund prepared to cash in next summer for a fee of around £130million.
Now the Manchester Evening News are reporting that Ten Hag has instructed United to join the race to sign the teenager and has even told confidants that if he could sign any player in the world it would be Bellingham.
Senior figures at United appear to agree with the Dutchman’s incredible claim and some within the corridors of power at Old Trafford feel the former Birmingham City starlet could be the player who ends their long wait for a Premier League title.
In a further report in The Times, it is claimed that United and Ten Hag watched Bellingham intently during the World Cup in Qatar.
And, even though the teen is one of the contenders to be the young player of the tournament, Ten Hag feels he only showed a mere glimpse of his full potential.
In fact, the former Ajax boss has watched Bellingham extensively this season for Dortmund and feels his level at the World Cup was not as high as he has been showing in the Bundesliga – and believes he can get even better when he moves clubs.
United know they face a mammoth task to convince Bellingham to snub the likes of Real Madrid and Liverpool, but they are ready to launch another charm offensive.
The Red Devils already rolled out the red carpet for him back in March 2020, with Bellingham visiting the club’s Carrington training complex with his parents as he weighed up his next move.
Ultimately he decided to pick the pathway Dortmund had laid out for him – which guaranteed immediate first-team football at Champions League level – but he was appreciative of the effort United put in, with even Sir Alex Ferguson meeting the youngster.
Some of United’s existing staff were there two-and-half years ago and feel Bellingham has already assumed the authoritative, box-to-box leadership role they had wanted Paul Pogba to occupy before he left on a free transfer.
The question marks that surround United’s ownership are not expected to have any impact on transfers and the club are willing to once again back their manager in the summer with a big-money play for Bellingham.
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