Garth Crooks has suggested that Liverpool signing Jude Bellingham and Declan Rice this summer could rocket Jurgen Klopp’s side into competing for the Premier League title.
Writing in his BBC Sport Team of the Week column, the pundit believes that the Reds signing the England duo for around £200m could be the answer to Liverpool once again competing for the Premier League title, with the Anfield side out of the picture for the majority of the season.
With top-four the main battle Liverpool have been fighting all campaign, signing Bellingham and Rice this summer would be quite the statement from Klopp, though with the Borussia Dortmund man seemingly set for Real Madrid, one deal already looks out of the question.
Indeed, the duo would be statement signings, and Crooks believes the pair could transform the Merseyside club, with the pundit saying: “If Liverpool stand any chance of bringing Jude Bellingham and Declan Rice to Anfield, and I think they need both to compete with Manchester City next season, then a top-four finish is critical.
“The purchases would cost them the best part of £200m but what a statement it would make. With Salah slowly coming back to his best, and with Cody Gakpo, Darwin Nunez and Luis Diaz all developing, Liverpool would take some stopping.”
Bellingham and Rice are fantasy signings for Liverpool
Bellingham and Rice in the same midfield would no doubt be one of the best partnerships in all of football, with the pair already showing how good they are together for England at the most recent FIFA World Cup, yet for Liverpool, signing the duo is nothing more than a fantasy at this stage.
Given that both players are worth £100m each at a minimum, the Reds would have to break the bank twice over to sign Bellingham and Rice this summer, and whilst it would make Liverpool Premier League contenders again, actually recruiting the pair is seemingly impossible at this stage.