Why Borussia Dortmund have made Jude Bellingham the most expensive 17 year-old in history

Jude Bellingham is set to finally complete his protracted move to Borussia Dortmund, with Birmingham City raking in a fee worth around £30 million.

Bellingham passed his medical in Germany on Thursday after the Bundesliga giants persuaded the 17-year-old midfielder to choose them ahead of Manchester United and Chelsea.

The fee ensures Bellingham will become the most expensive 17 year-old in football history, with reports in Germany revealing he will sign a five-year contract.

He flew back to England on Thursday afternoon and could play for struggling Birmingham in their Championship game at Preston this Saturday.

United were also in the race to sign Bellingham, with Sir Alex Ferguson, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Eric Cantona understood to be part of the sales pitch, but he has chosen to join Dortmund as he believes they represent the best chance of progressing his career.

It has proved a remarkable career trajectory for the kid from Stourbridge, who since making his Birmingham debut at the age of 16 years and 38 days has emerged as one of the most coveted young players in Europe.

Equally comfortable as a central or defensive midfielder, Bellingham can score and make goals, and his reading of the game is outstanding for a player so young.

He now has 42 appearances in the Championship, yet there has been a buzz around Bellingham at the Midlands club since he was 12 years old.

Making his debut for the Under-18s at the age of 14, he made his first appearance for the U23s a year later at Nottingham Forest, and scored.

But it was on a Saturday morning in October last year when it really hit home that Birmingham were facing a huge battle to keep him for much longer.

Bellingham had completed a short warm-down session at the training ground, 12 hours after Birmingham’s 2-1 victory over Middlesbrough on Friday night, before deciding to go and watch the club’s U18s play Hull City.

It was not long until he was ambushed by the parents of academy players from both teams, asking for autographs from a 16-year-old midfielder.

Birmingham’s youth coaches have always known that Bellingham would be the jewel in the academy crown; while studying at Priory School in Edgbaston, he once scored seven goals in a cup final.

Yet his remarkable progress over the last 12 months has taken even Birmingham’s staff by surprise. Mike Dodds, the club’s Lead Youth Development Coach, has been a pivotal figure in his rise.

For the moment, Bellingham still earns £145 a week on scholarship terms and has grabbed the Championship by the shirt collar in his first full season, with his form catching the attention of many Premier League clubs.

It is understood Tottenham made a £1m bid for him last year, which was rejected, and Birmingham have resisted other interest in the hope of him first establishing himself at St Andrew's.

For a club which has not always generated positive headlines, particularly under current owners Trillion Trophy Asia, their handling of Bellingham has been a credit to them. Bellingham and his parents also treated a potentially sensitive situation with care and respect. Birmingham would have received just minimal compensation if a move had been completed before his 17th birthday.

There are also high hopes for Bellingham at international level, too.

Kevin Betsy, the highly-regarded head coach of England’s U17s, gave him his debut for the national team in the Syrenka Cup. He scored on his debut in the 5-0 win over Finland and England went on to win the competition with him as captain.

Dortmund are now on the brink of completing his signing, providing further evidence that they are seen as an elite club at which young players can develop.

The fee is significant for Birmingham, and Bellingham has much to thank the club for.

This is just the next chapter in a career which is only just starting.