Despite reports to the contrary a number of journalists following up on The Athletic’s claim of Liverpool’s increasing unlikeliness to sign Jude Bellingham have suggested that the opposite may actually be true.
Graeme Bailey is one of the latest in a long line to discuss the Englishman’s future and has confirmed that the Reds are ‘still in the race’ ahead of the summer window.
“He comes with a huge wage packet as well Bellingham. From our understanding they’re (Liverpool) still in the race, it is where it is,” the reporter told the Talking Transfers Podcast (via The Boot Room).
“Bellingham we expect him to make a decision and to tell Dortmund where he is by the end of the month, but some people are saying that it could be by Easter which is a few weeks later.
“We don’t know yet, but it will be one of those three clubs if he does go. The staying at Dortmund thing is growing stronger and stronger, he’s very happy there and in another 12 months he can have his own pick of clubs then, his release clause will be less than £100m, look at what Haaland went for.
“If he wants to join Liverpool this may be the hint we all need that he wants to join Liverpool because that opens the door for them.”
Whether the Merseysiders will come out on top of their rivals in the race for the 19-year-old sensation’s signature remains to be seen, though other coverage does indicate that Jurgen Klopp’s men are far from being considered at a total disadvantage to the likes of Real Madrid and Manchester City.
The idea that Liverpool suddenly realised the magnitude of the potential transfer and are adopting the mindset of it being almost an impossibility to land Bellingham has to be considered somewhat ridiculous given that it’s long been established that the former Birmingham City teenager would not come cheap.
The financial realities around the actual transfer itself, of course, have yet to be ironed out, with it being unclear how much of the budget will be sourced from player sales or funding from a minority investor (courtesy of FSG).
Further to the point, it’s worth raising questions around how much of our potential summer warchest will be drained by any outlay on the midfielder given there is a clear need for more than one addition to the midfield department.
Given how patiently the club have waited for their man, not to mention the scope of the problem in the middle of the park, we’d be surprised to see us either miss out on Bellingham or fail to appropriately address the shortage of reliable midfielders with any business beyond the England international.