Frank Lampard discloses he ‘almost’ signed Jude Bellingham for Chelsea 4 years ago

Frank Lampard heaped praise on Jude Bellingham and expressed regret for not being able to sign him at Chelsea, four years ago.

Frank Lampard discloses he ‘almost’ signed Jude Bellingham for Chelsea 4 years ago

Frank Lampard wanted to sign Jude Bellingham for Chelsea in 2020. (via IMAGO)

Former Chelsea manager Frank Lampard in a recent interview, revealed that the club narrowly missed out on signing English starlet Jude Bellingham. The former Blues star wanted to bring Bellingham to Chelsea when the player was 17, back in 2020.

Bellingham’s revelation has been somewhat amazing. From a 17-year old youngster at Birmingham, to becoming the most valuable midfielder in the world, he has become one of football’s brightest stars, having played for Borussia Dortmund and Real Madrid. He also won the Golden Boy award and the Kopa Trophy, owing to his brilliant performance over the past few seasons. At just 20, he has already won the La Liga and UCL titles with Los Blancos.

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Prior to his £25 million switch to the German side, where he went on to play for three seasons, he was scouted by a few EPL clubs, including Chelsea. Speaking on BBC, Frank Lampard shared details about his conversations with the young star and his parents in 2020, attempting to persuade him to join Chelsea. During the player’s visit to Chelsea’s Cobham Training Centre, the manager emphasized the progress of other young talents such as Mason Mount and Tammy Abraham as part of his pitch.

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I remember when I was Chelsea manager, we tried to get Jude Bellingham and we knew that everyone was in for him. He came with his parents and my selling point was, well, I've got Mason Mount, I'm playing young players.
Frank Lampard on Jude Bellingham (via BBC)

However, the Englishman chose to join the German side, as Lampard remarked, that the rest is history. After an extraordinary debut season at Real Madrid following his €103 million move, he is now playing for England at 2024 Euros.

Ex-Los Blancos captain Iker Casillas backs Jude Bellingham to become Real Madrid captain one day

Former Real Madrid skipper and goalkeeping legend Iker Casillas backed Jude Bellingham to become the club captain someday. However, the Spaniard emphasized that the Englishman would need to put in considerable effort to achieve this role.

Iker Casillas on Jude Bellingham
Iker Casillas predicted Jude Bellingham to become the Real Madrid skipper in the future. (via IMAGO)
He could surely be the captain of Real Madrid, of course. He has everything to form the part.
Iker Casillas told Daily Mail

The 20-year old English starlet who has earned a lot of praise for his brilliant performances, is being pushed by many pundits for a leadership role. Bellingham, since making a move to the Spanish capital, has shown a lot of maturity.

His maturity has convinced Casillas foresee the possibility of him being given the captain’s armband. Although, he mentioned that Bellingham needs to continue learning the history of the club while performing in the biggest matches.

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