Joe Cole has piled praise on reported Liverpool transfer target Federico Valverde, comparing him to Jude Bellingham.
Speaking to BT Sport via The Daily Mail, Cole claimed that the Real Madrid man is just as good as Bellingham.
“He’s standing right at the top of the tree with Bellingham in the young players, and he’s on the verge of becoming the best,” said the former Liverpool forward. “He’s box-to-box, he scores goals, he’s a technician, he was the unsung hero in the final, I thought he was outstanding against Liverpool.
“He drove that team forward [against Celtic on Wednesday], he’s a powerful boy, took his goal lovely, and he’s one that I earmarked about two years ago. He’s found it tough getting into Casemiro, Kroos and Modric, they’ve been incredible. He’s had to wait, bide his time and learn from the greats, take a little bit from everyone’s game.
“His stats this year are unbelievable, his goals, assists, goal involvements, incredible player. We talk a lot about Bellingham in this country, but this kid is every bit as good as Bellingham.”
Valverde out of Liverpool’s reach
If it seems unlikely to some supporters that Liverpool will sign Bellingham, then Valverde is surely even more fanciful.
Nevertheless, it has been reported that the Reds actually put in a massive offer for the Uruguayan last summer.
According to AS, Liverpool bid around £86m for Valverde in the dying days of the transfer window. That was perhaps worth a go at the time. The 24-year-old wasn’t assured of his place in the Madrid team, despite an excellent showing against Liverpool in Paris.
Since then though, Valverde has kicked on massively. He’s started 15 of his team’s 18 games this season, scoring eight goals and providing four assists.
For a player not necessarily renowned for his scoring or creating, those are mightily impressive figures. Cole’s claim that he’s one of the best midfielders in the world at the moment stands up well to scrutiny.
As a result, it’s safe to assume that Valverde is untouchable at Real Madrid right now. It’s true that they are trying desperately to sign Bellingham to add to their cohort of excellent young midfield players. But you’d think that would be to supplement the likes of the Uruguay international, rather than replace him.
So, as it probably always was, Liverpool signing this ‘outstanding’ young midfielder seems like an impossibility.
That’s fine though, we’ll just take Bellingham instead. No big deal.
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