German outlet BILD has revealed that Liverpool chiefs have agreed to go ‘all out’ to sign Borussia Dortmund midfielder Jude Bellingham in 2023.
Jurgen Klopp knows he needs to revamp his ageing midfield after a disappointing start to the season and Bellingham has been identified as the man to build his new look side around in the middle of the park.
According to Bild, Klopp and the Liverpool chiefs have agreed to go ‘all out’ for Bellingham next summer and have set aside £86m to sign the English international. However, that figure falls well short of Dortmund’s valuation.
The report adds that Dortmund want to keep their man but have resigned to the fact that it will be difficult to keep him for another year with interest growing exponentially. Consequently, the Schwarz Gelben have slapped a mammoth £128.9 million (€150m) price tag on the Englishman, as per the Daily Mail.
Real Madrid, Chelsea, and Manchester City have also been linked with a move for Bellingham, and some outlets suggest that Los Blancos are currently the favourites to sign the Three Lions star, so Liverpool face a huge battle to land the talented midfielder.
While speaking about his future, Bellingham gave nothing away and insisted that his focus is entirely on winning games with Dortmund at the moment.
‘In all honesty I’m not thinking about anything like that [the transfer rumours].
‘You [the media] will be angry with me as you won’t get a headline, but I’m just focused on the next games with Borussia Dortmund.
‘I’m not even thinking about the World Cup. I’m trying to win games with Borussia Dortmund and then we’ll see what happens.’
(Via Metro)
Our View
Bellingham is currently one of the most sought-after players in the transfer market so it’s likely there will be a bidding war for the 19-year-old next summer.
Bellingham will be an ideal fit for Klopp and Liverpool. The Merseyside outfit’s struggles this season have been due to the inconsistency of their midfield. It’s clear that a revamp is needed in the middle of the park for the former Premier League champions and Bellingham could be the ideal solution.
The likes of Jordan Henderson, Fabinho, and Thiago Alcantara have all become injury-prone lately and therefore Liverpool’s interest in signing Bellingham is justified. Moreover, the prospect has also shown that he can be a leader and is a proven big-match player. He has scored nine times and has assisted twice in his 19 appearances for Dortmund this season, and his value could increase further if he impresses at the World Cup.
Chelsea are looking at Bellingham to replace the duo of N’Golo Kante and Jorginho, who are currently in the final year of their respective contracts. Therefore, they could provide stiff competition to Liverpool along with Madrid.
Manchester City would also be a lucrative destination for Bellingham but it remains to be seen how concrete the Cityzens’ interest in signing him is.
We’ll have to wait and see how things develop over the coming months but if Liverpool want to win the race to sign Bellingham, they’ll need to pay a lot more than £89m and fend off serious competition.
