Speaking to BBC Radio Merseyside, Craig Hignett says he has been told that Jude Bellingham is ‘Liverpool bound’.
Liverpool could do with more depth in midfield as Jurgen Klopp is forced to navigate multiple injuries in the middle of the park, with a new injury seemingly arriving each week.
It’s a self-made problem that the Reds are dealing with as they had ample time to identify and replace Georginio Wijnaldum in the summer, while it would have been even better to meet his demands and keep him at the club.
The Dutchman was the fittest central midfielder at the club, averaging 47 games per season during his five-year stay with the Merseysiders, and the fact of the matter is that Henderson, Keita, Chamberlain, Thiago and now Fabinho are all injury prone to varying degrees.
Signing a midfielder in the summer should have been a priority while an attacker was needed as well.
Signing Jude Bellingham in January would be fantastic but, as per German publication Bild, Borussia Dortmund have slapped a mouthwatering €120m (£101m) price tag on his head to ward off interest.
This is interesting because former Middlesbrough star Craig Hignett has told BBC Radio Merseyside that he has it on good authority that the 18-year-old is Liverpool bound.
“I think I’ve heard it on good authority and I can’t say where I’ve heard it from, but apparently he has been saying that he is Liverpool bound”, Hignett said on BBC Radio Merseyside.
“Whether that is January or whether that is the end of the season isn’t sure yet, but I think, I have it on good authority that it is almost a cert.”
It is remarkable that Bellingham won’t even be 19 until June next year and he is already regarded as one of the best midfielders in the world. It is not outrageous to imagine he will be the best on the planet one day if he can continue progressing at the current rate.
If Liverpool could bring him to Anfield it would be a terrific move from the club, but it does seem difficult to imagine them meeting Dortmund’s reported €120m (£101m) valuation.
His contract with BVB only expires in 2025 so it’s not as though the Bundesliga side is under pressure to offload the Englishman the way they will be when Erling Haaland’s release clause is inevitably triggered next summer.