Dortmund faced fierce competition from Bundesliga rivals including Eintracht Frankurt and RB Leipzig, but the club’s chief executive Hans-Joachim Watzke went above and beyond to woo the teenager.
It has now emerged that Watzke flew into the UK and presented Bellingham with an unreleased Dortmund shirt, featuring the player’s name and beloved No.7 on the back.
Watzke also handed Bellingham a personal letter from Dortmund boss Niko Kovac, which reportedly read: “Dear Jobe, After our last meeting, I’m more convinced than ever.
“I want you to wear this shirt… I have a good feeling that we can reach the next level together. We want you here.”
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And Dortmund were rewarded for their efforts when Bellingham put pen to paper on a five-year contract on Tuesday morning, with the 19-year-old now available to play during the upcoming Club World Cup.
Dortmund paid an initial fee of €33m for Bellingham, with the deal including a further €5m in realistic add-ons. The agreement also contains a 15 per cent sell-on fee.
Dortmund sporting director Sebastian Kehl said: “We’ve known Jobe for several years, and of course we have followed his progress very closely.
“He has taken another huge step forward in his development over the last year, and even at the age of 19 he has become a real leader. His commanding presence in central midfield is remarkable, and he will improve our team in various systems.
“We’re delighted that we were able to complete this deal before the FIFA Club World Cup so that we can see Jobe in our colours for the first time in the USA.
“He’s fit as a fiddle and raring to go – he’s determined to forge his own path at Borussia Dortmund and make his mark on how we play, and we’re confident that he will do exactly that.”
Lars Ricken, Dortmund’s managing director for sport, said: “Jobe is an extremely talented footballer with an impressive level of maturity and intelligence on the pitch for someone so young.
“We have no doubt that he’s the perfect fit for our philosophy of developing talented youngsters and giving them the opportunity to improve and establish themselves at the highest level.
“His professionalism, his dynamism and his hunger to succeed will make him a real asset for our team.
“We look forward to working with him, and we’re sure that he will have an important role to play in Borussia Dortmund’s future.”
Bellingham, who has trained with his new teammates, said: “I’m very happy to be a Borussia Dortmund player now and to fight for titles together with this great club.
“I want to play my part in celebrating success with these great fans here and will work on myself and with the team every day. And I’m very happy that I’ll be wearing the black and yellow jersey at the FIFA Club World Cup.”
