Manchester City head coach Pep Guardiola reportedly spent three hours on the phone with Jude Bellingham trying to convince the England international to move to the Etihad this summer.
The 20-year-old was already on the radar of Europe's most elite clubs owing to his rapid breakthrough at Birmingham City and was even given a tour of Manchester United's Carrington training complex.
However, Borussia Dortmund - who are renowned for their development of young players - ultimately pipped the Red Devils to Bellingham's signature, and the midfielder's stock only rose higher at the Signal Iduna Park.
Dortmund managed to retain Bellingham's services in the summer of 2022, despite widespread interest, but after falling just short in their efforts to end Bayern Munich's reign of Bundesliga dominance, BVB were resigned to losing him this time around.
Liverpool were considered a top contender for his signature before the Reds pulled out due to the cost of any potential deal, having been unable to compete with Real Madrid, Man City and Paris Saint-Germain on the financial front.
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A switch to Ligue 1 did not appeal to Bellingham either, and Real Madrid forked out €103m (£89.3m) to bring the 2003-born protege to the Bernabeu on a six-year contract.
Man City were refusing to throw in the towel over the summer, though, and Cadena SER reports that Guardiola had a three-hour conversation with Bellingham in a bid to seduce the England international to the Etihad.
The Citizens head coach apparently tried to lure Bellingham back to his homeland by reminding him of his English roots, while also claiming that Real Madrid were coming to the end of their golden period.
The treble winners' bid to Dortmund and salary package is believed to have been superior to Real Madrid's offers, but Bellingham already had his heart set on a move to Los Blancos and had given Carlo Ancelotti's side his word.
There was a deep mutual respect between Bellingham and Guardiola during the conversation, and the City boss wished him well when the midfielder politely informed him that he would not change his mind on a move to the Spanish capital.
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Since touching down at the Bernabeu, Bellingham has been equalling records for fun during an exceptional start to his Real career, scoring 10 goals and setting up three more in 13 games.
Playing as the most advanced midfielder in Ancelotti's setup, Bellingham scored in each of his first four La Liga games for Real Madrid, becoming just the third player in the club's history to do so.
The ex-Birmingham youngster also provided a goal and assist in a 3-0 beating of Girona on September 30, before breaking into double figures with a brace in a 4-0 success over Osasuna before the international break.
With 10 goals in 10 games, Bellingham matched Cristiano Ronaldo's scoring record during the Portugal attacker's first 10 matches in the famous white strip, helping Ancelotti's side open up a two-point lead at the top of the La Liga table.
Bellingham will now be expected to start for England when the Three Lions host Italy on Tuesday in a Euro 2024 qualifier, where a win would see Gareth Southgate's side confirm their place in next year's tournament.
Ben Knapton
