Liverpool should prioritise signing Jude Bellingham over reported target Mason Mount this summer.
That’s the view of TalkSPORT pundit Darren Bent. Speaking on the radio show last night, Bent weighed up the futures of both players.
“Mason Mount is a funny one because Liverpool are sniffing,” said the former England striker. “Mount’s a good player but you can’t get them both. If you can get Bellingham or Mason Mount, you’re going Bellingham, right?”
No competition. As Bent says himself, Liverpool are absolutely crying out for a player in Bellingham’s mould.
“He’s [Bellingham] going have the pick of where he goes. I would love to see him at Arsenal, if not Real Madrid. But the team that needs him the most is Liverpool,” he claimed. “Look at their midfield. Jordan [Henderson] is obviously the captain but he’s getting on with age. Thiago’s never really been blessed with speed, Naby Keita looks like leaving because his contract’s up, Milner can play in there, Curtis Jones. They’ve got all these players, but they’re the team that need him the most.
“That could be the one where it could all fall to pieces at Liverpool. If he [Klopp] goes to the board and says ‘Bellingham wants to come to us but we need £120m.’ If he says we need him and Liverpool say no and don’t back him there’s going to be a big problem, because Jurgen Klopp will go ‘what am I doing here then? We’ve got one of the best talents in Europe if not the best wanting to come to our football club, we need to make that happen.'”
Mount still a serious option for Liverpool
You won’t find any arguments here. Bent is one of the most insightful pundits around at the moment, and this is another good point by him.
One thing we would perhaps disagree with though, is that Liverpool certainly should be looking to sign both Bellingham and Mount.
Bellingham’s appeal goes without saying by now. Whatever way you slice it, he’s obviously the Reds’ top transfer target this summer. But Liverpool need more than just the 19-year-old. They need a complete rehauling of the midfield.
With that in mind, Mount should be a serious option. With his contract running down at Chelsea, he could be on the market for a reasonable fee. Still only twenty-four, the England man has plenty of potential still to grow into. He’s energetic, versatile and never misses a game.
Crucially, both Mount and Bellingham would also help to address Liverpool’s escalating ‘home-grown’ player issue.
Clearly, money is going to be a factor here. As Bent points out, huge funds will have been committed if Bellingham ends up joining this summer. But Liverpool have to be prepared for that. They’ve known the price of the 19-year-old for months. They’ve also known that they need three or four midfielders this summer, too. The money has to be there. Let’s go and get them both, and chuck in Matheus Nunes, too.