Gianluca Di Marzio noted that Manchester United appear to have fallen out of the race for Jude Bellingham’s signature.
In worse news for Erik ten Hag’s men, their arch rivals, Liverpool, are reportedly ‘a dream destination’ for the highly coveted Borussia Dortmund star.
“This is going to be a summer deal anyway. Recently he exchanged his old agent for a new one, but that has nothing to do with negotiations,” the Italian journalist told SoccerNews.
“His parents are now responsible for the talks, but I don’t think anything will happen in January.
“If you ask me, Liverpool is a dream destination for Bellingham and Manchester United seem to have dropped out. The price tag is 100 to 130 million euros.”
The England international enjoyed a World Cup campaign to remember with Gareth Southgate’s men in Qatar, though the Reds may be feeling somewhat grateful that it was ended early in the knockouts by France given the potential impact on his asking price.
It’s expected that the 19-year-old will cost upwards of £100m (between £87.1-113.3m, according to Di Marzio) – a still sizeable figure for any recruitment team in world football in possession of our war chest.
Assuming that we can buy a seat at the negotiating table, however, we’re under the impression the club stands a good chance of getting the deal over the line given all the hard work occurring behind the scenes, including Jordan Henderson’s apparent attempts to build a relationship in the England camp.
There’s more to Liverpool than the skipper, of course; world-class facilities, one of the top two managers in world football and an already star-studded squad should be appetising reasons for making the switch to Anfield.
Only time will tell just how appetising they prove to be for one of the globe’s top young talents.