Liverpool told what shirt number Jude Bellingham will wear if he joins

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Don Hutchison says there are suggestions that Liverpool have offered Jude Bellingham ‘the number eight’ shirt and the chance to be ‘the new Steven Gerrard’ in order to get him to sign.

The former Liverpool midfielder thinks, even if the Reds fail to secure Champions League football this season, he feels that Jurgen Klopp and Co can still persuade Bellingham to sign and make it clear to him that their current season is a ‘one-off’.

At 19, Bellingham is one of the most sought-after players in world football ahead of the summer transfer window, with Borussia Dortmund braced to let their ‘elite’ player go.

Of course, the German club will still try to keep him on board, but if he does leave, then it surely has to be £100 million+?

And given that the world’s elite teams will want the all-action midfielder on their books, then they can more than afford to do that and watch a transfer tussle ensue. 

Nonetheless, Hutchison shared that if Liverpool were to miss out on Champions League football, he still thinks Bellingham would join, as he explained why, as he told MatchDay Extra on Premier League Productions (21/01/23 at 8:20 pm).

“The evidence is quite clear, they need midfield players and they need energy,” said Hutchison. “I think Jurgen Klopp is well up for it.

On whether Bellingham would join if they aren’t in CL: “I think you could sell it to him. The rumours are that he has offered Jude Bellingham the number eight shirt to be the new Steven Gerrard, to try and sell that to him.

“It’s quite an easy sell, if you sit there with Jude Bellingham and his family and say ‘listen, us not being in the Champions League is a one-off. We are constantly fighting for Premier League titles. We are constantly fighting for the Champions League. This season is a one-off’.”

CAN STEVEN GERRARD HELP?

It’s well-documented that the Anfield icon is the childhood hero of Bellingham, so could he help his former side to land this transfer?

Well, Gerrard was recently on punditry duty during Liverpool’s goalless draw against Chelsea over the weekend and he stated that he is willing to go to Dortmund and help bring the England international to Merseyside.

If you are Liverpool, then surely you will knock on Gerrard’s door and use his presence and lure to persuade Bellingham to join because it’s going to be needed.