Ajax chief Edwin van der Sar admits they tried to sign Jude Bellingham before his move to Borussia Dortmund.

The former Birmingham City midfielder chose BVB over Manchester United last year.

And Van der Sar says they were also in the mix for Bellingham at the time: “I've always liked him. So much so that when he was playing for Birmingham we spoke to his parents to bring him to Ajax.

"In the end, the boy and his family preferred to stay at home in England at this point.

"He postponed the international experience until the following year."