According to The Bild, via The Express, Liverpool will try to strike an agreement with Dortmund for Jude Bellingham that will see Naby Keita join the German giants.
It is no secret that the 2020 Premier League champions want to bring in a fresh body in the center of the park, as Jurgen Klopp tries to replenish the squad with world-class talent.
England international Jude Bellingham has strongly been on Liverpool’s radar for some time now. With Dortmund’s interest Keita also genuine, the report suggests that Liverpool could try to secure a swap deal as early as January.
The young English midfielder moved to the Signal Iduna Park from Championship side Birmingham in the summer of 2020 for a whopping fee of £22.5 million. Considering Die Borussen paid that fee for a 17-year-old was a huge statement of belief, as the deal put Bellingham on football charts.
Before moving to the Bundesliga, several Premier League clubs were interested in acquiring the services of the teenager. But the midfielder saw a better move in Germany.
World class
In the two years since signing for Borussia Dortmund, Bellingham has made a name for himself. He’s considered as one of the most exciting teenagers in world football.
Despite not turning 20 until next year’s summer, the Stourbridge-born man has already played 100 times for Dortmund, scoring 13 and assisting 18 times for the German giants.
He also has put on the iconic white jersey of England 17 times, and barring any serious injury, will certainly fly out to Qatar for the upcoming Fifa World Cup.
While Bellingham seems to have the world on his feet, things have not gone the way Keita and Liverpool would have envisaged after the Reds splashed £54 million on the Guinea international in 2018.
The former RB Leipzig man has just made 76 appearances for the Merseyside club in the Premier League. To put that in context, he has only 46 times in the league in four full seasons for Klopp’s side.
The upcoming window might be the best chance to finally move on from the Liverpool chapter. Keita contract expires next summer, so Liverpool will be keen to use him as bait to land Bellingham this winter.
