Scouts at Anfield believe that Jude Bellingham can be the ultimate box-to-box player for Liverpool.
That’s according to The Athletic, who claim that Bellingham is seen as being the ‘complete’ midfielder by Liverpool recruitment staff.
The Reds reportedly feel that the 19-year-old ‘ticks every box’ in what they’re looking for in a midfielder.
But, as we know, that will come at a cost. According to this latest report in The Athletic, Borussia Dortmund are now expecting to fetch as much as £132m for Bellingham, if he pushes for a move.
The race starts to heat up for Bellingham
There’s a few interesting titbits in this piece from The Athletic this morning. It’s reported that, despite his asking price, Dortmund are still hoping to convince Bellingham his future lies with them.
To that end, the German club are reportedly set to offer the teenager a new and improved terms. Although there’s said to be ‘strong interest’ from Liverpool, Manchester United, Manchester City, Chelsea and Real Madrid, Dortmund still hope to keep him.
It’s also claimed that talks with Liverpool are not currently underway. There had been some suggestions of the Reds opening negotiations, but these have been quashed by Dortmund.
Finally, there’s confirmation that Bellingham does not have a release clause written into his contract.
Reports earlier in the month had suggested that Liverpool, and other clubs, were trying to determine for sure whether they could get the England star for a set price.
That has also been dismissed, meaning the prospect of a large-scale bidding war for Liverpool is a very real one.
In that kind of scenario, it’s hard to see how Liverpool can compete with some of the other clubs mentioned. Bellingham may be worth it – he was called ‘phenomenal’ by former teammate Erling Haaland via ESPN FC. But regardless, Liverpool don’t have a bottomless pit of money.
Instead, the Reds might have to lean on Bellingham to choose them for sporting, rather than monetary reasons. The good thing is that Liverpool are in the race. With a while still to go in this one, hopefully they can stay there.
Receive a digest of our best Liverpool content each week direct to your mailbox
