Journalist Pete O’Rourke has confirmed to GiveMeSport that Liverpool are still in the race to land Borussia Dortmund midfielder Jude Bellingham next summer.
It was earlier reported that the Reds dropped out of the race for Bellingham due to the financial difficulties in completing such a deal. With the likes of Real Madrid and Manchester City to compete against, it was thought Liverpool would struggle to match them.
While that may still hold true, O’Rourke suggests that Liverpool have still not given up hope of signing Bellingham and remain ‘in the race’ to sign the in-demand Borussia Dortmund star.
Speaking about Liverpool’s interest in Bellingham, O’Rourke said:
“They’re still in the race, I think, for Jude Bellingham, but it’s going to be a really difficult race looking at the other clubs who are also after him.”
“The likes of Manchester City and Real Madrid can afford to probably spend more than Liverpool can right now and they will have Champions League football to offer to Jude Bellingham, which, as it stands, is looking unlikely for Liverpool. So that could play a huge role in any potential move for Jude Bellingham as well.”
(Source: GMS)
At the moment, City and Madrid are considered two of the best probable destinations for Bellingham, who has been heavily linked with an exit at the end of this season. Also, Liverpool could miss out on a UEFA Champions League spot for next season and that could prove to be a huge blow to their attempts to land Bellingham and other top targets.
The Telegraph recently reported that interested teams will have to pay £110 million to acquire the 19-year-old’s services and so for FSG, financially, it looks like an uphill task.
The Athletic also recently said that it is growing increasingly unlikely that we will see Bellingham at Anfield next summer.
Our View
Naby Keita and Alex Oxlade Chamberlain are out of contract next summer and so it makes sense why Jurgen Klopp is looking to sign a young, quality midfielder. Liverpool though, are in need of a major midfield overhaul with the likes of Jordan Henderson and Thiago Alcantara also injury-prone, while Fabinho has been out of form this season. Therefore, it is safe to say that Liverpool need to sign several midfield players over the coming summer.
While Bellingham would no doubt be a major coup for the Reds, breaking their club record and spending over £100m on one target may not be feasible when Klopp needs to bring in multiple targets. So we may find that Liverpool will need to bow out of the race to sign the Dortmund star if the likes of Madrid and City make it clear they’re willing to pay over £100m to sign the talented England international.
