FSG could be on the cusp of seriously annoying Liverpool fans, as their reported interest in Jude Bellingham takes another twist.
According to The Times this morning, the Reds are ‘unlikely’ to be willing to pay Borussia Dortmund’s asking price next summer. That’s despite Liverpool being ‘admirers’ of the player.
This somewhat beggar’s belief. As their interest in Bellingham is longstanding, Liverpool must have known for an age what the 19-year-old would cost.
There is simply no use in admiring a player, pinning your transfer strategy on him, and then baulking at his much-publicised fee.
That Bellingham will likely cost upwards of £100m is far from a surprise to anyone. Liverpool must put their money where their mouth is next summer. No excuses.
Liverpool in need of urgent investment
If Liverpool’s current plight isn’t reason enough for FSG to plough some serious transfer funds into the club, then nothing ever will be.
The Reds are in real danger of missing out on Champions League football as the squad creaks with age.
Investment was needed this summer but wasn’t forthcoming. Liverpool are now paying the price for that, as they face a season of transition.
Bellingham slipping through Liverpool’s fingers
It needn’t have been this way. Though other areas of the squad are proving problematic, the midfield still feels like the root cause. Although Bellingham was unattainable during the summer window, many other top midfielders were more than gettable.
Liverpool’s reasoning not to buy any of them appeared to be that they’d rather wait for the Dortmund man. Hardly an under-the-radar talent, it was also going to be the case that others fancied Bellingham too.
Now, with Champions League football currently in the balance, Liverpool will become less attractive to top talents. That will harm their pursuit of Bellingham, but it doesn’t have to be a death knell.
If the long-term vision of the club is still to be competing right at the top of the game, then that can be sold to the England man. But lack of investment in the playing squad is telling. Without the cash-cow of the Champions League to fall back on, that may be pulled back further still.
Liverpool fans won’t like it, but it feels like the man they earmarked as their midfield fix may well be slipping through their fingers.
There are other players who could improve Liverpool, make no mistake about that. But Bellingham is the statement one, the one the fans really want. FSG could be playing with fire if they walk away now.
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