According to German news outlet SportBILD (via Sport Witness), Liverpool are still paying close attention to Borussia Dortmund midfielder Jude Bellingham.Â
The lowdown: Long-standing admirers
The Reds have long since been credited with an interest in the 18-year-old and have often been among the clubs most reliably linked with the former Birmingham City starlet. It’s even believed Jurgen Klopp has held secret conversations behind the scenes about signing the England sensation.
Having recently made an 84th appearance for the Bundesliga outfit, Bellingham’s stock continues to rise on the continent, with the report from Sport Witness detailing how he has become the star of the show and a leader at Signal Iduna Park.
Now it appears that Liverpool could be considering stepping up their levels of interest, though BVB will hold out for a huge price.
The latest: Bild drops exiting update
As per the report, translated by SW, the Anfield club are believed to be ‘watching his development closely’, alongside similar interest from Real Madrid.
The report claims that the 12-cap England international will ‘soon’ become the next player to leave Dortmund for a fee in excess of €100million (£83million).
Furthermore, the German newspaper states that the teenager once described as possessing ‘scary’ ability for someone so young by Roy Keane has already become the ‘world’s most expensive’ player for his age.
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The verdict: At all costs
Seldom do generational talents such as Bellingham come along, let alone ones that Liverpool hold a genuine opportunity to sign in the not too distant future.
Whilst Klopp’s former employers will be reticent to lose both the midfield star and Erling Haaland in the same window, bids of anything in the region of the aforementioned mooted fees would likely force their hand this summer.
As things stand the Reds are relatively blessed in the midfield department, but with Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain’s future never more in doubt and Jordan Henderson, Thiago and James Milner all the wrong side of 30, adding the next midfield general to the Merseyside ranks would be a shrewd move.
Even at the suggested price point, the early signs would suggest that Bellingham, who is equally adept in conventional positions as well as attacking roles, is going to be an elite-level performer for the next decade and beyond, therefore providing extraordinary value for money, potentially marking newly appointed sporting director Julian Ward’s arrival with an instant statement.
In other news, one Liverpool player has been backed to leave this summer. Find out who it is here.
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