Paul Merson has claimed that Liverpool ‘are crying out’ for a midfielder and believes Borussia Dortmund favourite Jude Bellingham would be able to fill the void at Jurgen Klopp’s side.
The England international has been linked with a move to Merseyside recently but it now appears that any potential deal will be visited next year.
It’s no secret that Klopp is in the market for a new midfielder, but the Reds will only sign the right player if he’s available at the right price.
“I think Liverpool are crying out for a midfield player – I don’t think their midfield is strong enough,” Merson explained (as quoted by the Express).
“Jude Bellingham is a good player and I think he would be a great signing.
“Liverpool are currently relying solely on their full-backs for energy. Thiago’s not a box-to-box midfielder, and Jordan Henderson is another year older. They need legs in midfield and Jude Bellingham could be that box-to-box presence for the side.”
A fresh face in the middle of the park would be nice, but we do have more than enough options in there at the moment.
The majority of them may be the wrong side of 30, but they still appear to have a lot to give in a Red shirt.
Henderson’s game time may now start to be managed slightly more, but he will still play a pivotal role for the side during the new season.
Thiago Alcantara is one of the best midfielders in the league on his day, but keeping him fit for the majority of the season will be one of Klopp’s biggest challenges.
Naby Keita is still expected to be offered a fresh deal by the club despite us never really seeing him reach his potential since arriving from RB Leipzig in 2018 whilst Fabinho just does what he does and protects our defence superbly.
In terms of Bellingham, he does look to have all the ability in the world at just 18 years of age, so he certainly matches the transfer criteria of the club.
It’s rumoured that Dortmund will demand a fee of around £100m for the England international, but when you consider the fact that he has the potential to be the main man in our midfield for the next decade, that fee doesn’t look too bad.
It will be interesting to see what happens next year on the Bellingham front, but although the failure to sign a midfielder is rather disappointing, we feel we have enough options to remain as competitive as possible next term.
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