Jude Bellingham travelled with the senior England team to the UEFA Euros 2020. (imago Images)
According to Star Sport (h/t Mirror), Liverpool are linked with Borussia Dortmund midfielder, Jude Bellingham, for a transfer next summer. Jurgen Klopp has his eyes on the Englishman and could raid his former club in an £80million move next summer. His current contract expires in the summer of 2025.
Bellingham started his career at Birmingham City and made a name for himself through his performances despite being of a very young age. Dortmund soon came calling for him in January 2020, when he signed in a move worth up to £22.5million. But is he a player that Klopp needs at Liverpool?
Liverpool’s midfield situation is good, but not ideal. The Reds lost Georginio Wijnaldum to Paris Saint-Germain during the summer transfer window. The Netherlands international was a dependable player for Jurgen Klopp, having made 237 appearances for the club in just five seasons since his move from Newcastle United.
The 30-year-old midfielder’s loss left a void to be filled in Liverpool’s midfield. But the Reds did not sign any midfielder during the summer. Currently, Klopp has the likes of Jordan Henderson, Thiago Alcantara, Naby Keita, James Milner and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain to count on when it comes to depth in midfield.
Fabinho is a solid defensive midfielder and Harvey Elliott, who has primarily played as a winger in the past, has had minutes playing in Liverpool’s midfield. But the situation isn’t as rosy as it looks on the surface. The Reds midfield is not the youngest in the world, with Henderson (31), Thiago (30), and Milner (35) slowly approaching the twilight of their careers.
In a few years’ time, the Reds would need a replacement for either one of them, if not all. Moreover, Oxlade-Chamberlain and Naby Keita‘s injury records are suspect and the duo isn’t the most reliable in that regard. And of course, it is no easy task to replace a midfielder like Wijnaldum that played for the club 51 times last season.
But in Jude Bellingham, Liverpool can lock down a position in central midfield for several years to come. The 18-year-old midfielder is already a regular starter for Bundesliga giants, Borussia Dortmund. That, coupled with the fact that he had his number 22 jersey retired at Birmingham City as a 17-year-old, shows the high ceiling he possesses.
His contract runs until 2025 at Signal Iduna Park, which means that Liverpool would know that a significant fee could be prise away the teenager. And according to the Guardian Transfer Interactive (h/t Liverpool Echo), the Reds made a £5.5million profit in net spend this summer. Perhaps it is time to finally loosen the purse strings and land a midfielder that has made rapid strides at a young age.
