Jurgen Klopp has told FSG that they must move quickly on new transfer targets after missing out on Jude Bellingham.
As per plenty of reports on Tuesday night, Bellingham won’t be a Liverpool player next season. Although that won’t be a major surprise to some – the fee always looked prohibitive to the Reds – to others it will be seen as a cardinal sin.
Obviously, the 19-year-old would have been an immense statement signing for Liverpool. To bring in one of European football’s best talents after such a poor season would have let the world know that the Reds will be back all guns blazing next season. Failure to deliver him leaves plenty of question marks over where Liverpool now find themselves.
But the truth of the matter is that there are numerous brilliant midfield options out there this summer. And according to The Guardian, Klopp has told FSG that they simply can’t afford to hang around as they chase them.
It’s claimed that the manager sees a drawn-out battle to bring in Bellingham as having the potential to de-rail moves for other targets. Having lost out on Aurelien Tchouameni last summer, Klopp reportedly can’t abide a similar situation this time around.
Mason Mount, Moises Caicedo, Matheus Nunes and Ryan Gravenberch are named as players who Liverpool may now turn to instead of Bellingham.
Liverpool create more of their own problems
This is a crucial summer for Liverpool, no two ways about it. It was set to be that way even before last night’s news. But having now accepted defeat in their bid to sign their No.1 priority, it’s just got a whole lot more precarious.
Simply, Liverpool cannot afford to get things wrong. They’ve created a situation for themselves that means one misstep could set them back enormously.
Risk losing other targets and they could theoretically end this summer in desperation. As a result, Klopp is right – it’s imperative that they move as quick as they possibly can.
Of course that’s easier said than done, though. Clubs don’t have any reason to quicken up their business with Liverpool. This may inadvertently mean that the Reds end up paying over the odds for players.
Everybody knows just how desperate they are for midfielders. Their refusal to sign barely any in the last half-decade coupled with their awful season have seen to that. This could obviously drive prices up further. The irony.
Another irony is that Liverpool knew around this time last year that Tchouameni was going to Real Madrid. They did absolutely nothing through a whole summer window to account for that. They’ve got no such excuses this time around.