According to The Athletic, Liverpool are determined to lure Jude Bellingham away from Borussia Dortmund in 2023.
However, some doubts have been raised over their chances.
James Pearce of The Athletic expressed concern that the Reds wouldn’t be able to afford the deal, with Borussia Dortmund demanding £130m for the England international.
Now, an interesting story from Le Parisien suggests an agreement might be possible.
Liverpool can afford Jude Bellingham
Well, you may have heard the rumours about Kylian Mbappe.
The France international supposedly wants to leave Paris Saint-Germain in January, although the Ligue 1 champions are refusing to sell their No.7 to Real Madrid.
PSG are, however, open to doing business with Liverpool, and Le Parisien believe the Reds can afford the £131m fee which would tempt the French giants into a sale.
Regardless of what happens with Mbappe – this could all be a power play from the Frenchman – the report proves that Liverpool do have the finances for Bellingham, contrary to what Pearce and others have suggested.
Jude Bellingham more necessary than Kylian Mbappe for Liverpool
With a player like Mbappe allegedly on the market, it would be tempting for Liverpool to ignore Bellingham and focus their efforts on this unexpected opportunity.
However, the 19-year-old is far more necessary than the PSG forward.
Liverpool already have a number of effective attackers such as Mohamed Salah, Darwin Nunez, Diogo Jota and Roberto Firmino, although the midfield department is in serious need of freshening up.
James Milner and Jordan Henderson aren’t getting any younger, so an injection of youthful exuberance is required – Bellingham would provide that and more.
Jürgen Klopp also doesn’t see enough goals come from his midfield – the Borussia Dortmund No.22 has already scored four goals in four Champions League games this season, so he is capable of changing that for Liverpool.
Keep an eye on both Mbappe and Bellingham going into 2023, as both wonderkids could be on the move.
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