Liverpool managed to get a last-minute loan deal done for Arthur Melo on deadline day to bolster their injury-ridden midfield, however, a new update has emerged on the club’s pursuit of a target for the future.
What’s the latest?
That’s according to James Pearce, who confirmed in a recent article for The Athletic that Liverpool will make a move for Borussia Dortmund wonderkid Jude Bellingham next year.
Pearce claims that the 19-year-old remains at the top of the club’s transfer wish list but were never going to be able to complete a deal for Bellingham after Erling Haaland left the Bundesliga club for Manchester City.
The journalist goes on to reveal Liverpool hope to sign the £103m star in 2023.
It’s a big risk for Klopp
After failing to secure a deal with Aurelien Tchouameni at the beginning of the summer, with the midfielder making a move to Real Madrid instead, it’s a big risk for Jurgen Klopp to place all of their hopes on signing Bellingham next summer.
The Dortmund sporting director has already claimed that the German club would like to keep their star player beyond 2023 in an interview with Sky90 (via Evening Standard):
“I hope that Jude Bellingham will stay at BVB beyond 2023. I can see he feels super comfortable with us.”
Not only is the player’s current club keen to keep hold of their player but Chelsea, Manchester United and Real Madrid are all named as potential suitors alongside the Merseysiders interested in snapping up the midfielder next summer.
It comes as no surprise that Bellingham is a player that the Liverpool recruitment team admires, with the young talent ranking in the top 5% of his positional peers in the top five European leagues for assists, touches, dribbles completed and progressive passes received over the past 365 days.
James Milner, Naby Keita and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain are all in the last year of their respective contracts, and captain Jordan Henderson is now well into his 30s, meaning that building the future of the midfield has never been a more pressing issue at the club – something Bellingham can play a part in solving should he move to Merseyside.
With that being said, there must be no time or resources wasted when it comes to preparing offers and securing a deal for Bellingham next summer, as Liverpool will be in no position to lose out on another highly anticipated midfield target.
