'I was desperate to bring Jude Bellingham in!' - Frank Lampard claims Chelsea refused to sanction £20m transfer swoop for Real Madrid superstar

• Lampard wanted Bellingham at Chelsea
• The board did not buy his idea
• Refused to fork out £20m

WHAT HAPPENED? The Blues legend took charge at Stamford Bridge in 2019 in what was his first stint with the London club as manager. During that tenure, he was eager to bring Bellingham to the club when the England international was starting to make a name for himself at Birmingham. However, the Chelsea board rejected the move, citing reservations over the high price tag of over £20 million ($25m) for a teenager lacking experience at the top level.

WHAT THEY SAID: "When I was managing at Chelsea (first time) I was desperate to bring Jude Bellingham in," Lampard revealed during a chat in the Obi One Podcast.

"But I couldn't get it through upstairs - the idea of paying £20m for someone his age (at the time)"

THE BIGGER PICTURE: Subsequently, Manchester United reportedly expressed interest in Bellingham, with legendary manager Sir Alex Ferguson personally guiding him on a tour during a visit to the club's Carrington training complex. This sparked a competition between United and Borussia Dortmund for Bellingham's signature, with Dortmund ultimately securing the young talent.

Bellingham went on to make 132 appearances for the Bundesliga outfit before he moved to Real Madrid in a staggering €131 million (£114m/$138m) deal during the summer. He has achieved remarkable success already, scoring 13 goals in 14 appearances for Los Blancos, and even bagged the Kopa Trophy after being judged as the best U21 player of the 2022-23 campaign.

IN TWO PHOTOS:

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WHAT NEXT? It remains to be seen if Bellingham can feature in Real's next match, following a shoulder injury scare against Rayo Vallecano, with Carlo Ancelotti's men set to take on SC Braga in the Champions League on Wednesday, November 8.