Former England striker Gabby Agbonlahor has claimed that Jude Bellingham should favour a move to Liverpool over Real Madrid.
Speaking on TalkSPORT yesterday, Agonlahor was asked for his thoughts on Bellingham’s situation. With Liverpool, Manchester City and Real Madrid said to be the frontrunners, the pundit offered his views on who the 19-year-old should join.
“If I was him I’d probably choose Manchester City or Liverpool and then do four years there then at 23/24 you go to your Real Madrid as well,” he said. “Who’s going to turn down Real Madrid? No one is, and he’d fit perfectly into that midfield.”
So, Liverpool now then Madrid later? It seems unlikely that the Reds would work so hard to sign Bellingham if they suspected that his might be the case. Either way, Agbonlahor was in no doubt about who needs the England star the most right now.
“Liverpool need him, though. They need him in January for me I don’t think they can even wait until the summer,” he claimed. “If they miss out on Bellingham it’s going to be a major blow to Liverpool.”
A January move would be great. But with Borussia Dortmund determined not to lose such a key player mid-season, Liverpool will likely have to wait.
Liverpool not looking for short-term fix
If Bellingham does share similar thoughts to Agbonlahor re jetting off to Madrid after three or four years, then maybe a move to City is more likely.
It has been widely reported that Bellingham’s former Dortmund teammate Erling Haaland is plotting himself a similar career. Perhaps Pep Guardiola is happy to take such players short term before splurging on the next potential superstar.
Jurgen Klopp doesn’t work that way, though. Liverpool can’t afford to pay such big sums for players who aren’t completely invested in playing for the club.
If Jude is brought to Anfield, you’d think that it would be as a long-term solution and potentially as a future captain. Should Liverpool succeed in convincing the teenager to join them, this would surely be a factor in his decision.
From the outside looking in, Bellingham doesn’t appear to be the kind of player who’s desperate for status and money. In the football world, a move to Madrid is akin to landing a role in the latest Hollywood blockbuster. It doesn’t seem like Jude’s style.
Of course, that could be completely wrong. The lure of the Bernabeu has made plenty of sane footballers do rather strange things – just look at Luis Figo. You can never rule them out. But if Bellingham does decide that Anfield should be his next home, hopefully it’s for the next decade or more.
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