Speaking on the Sky Sports Football Podcast, Jamie Redknapp has been discussing potential solutions to Liverpool’s ongoing midfield problems, and Declan Rice.
According to Simon Phillips, Liverpool have been doing their homework on Rice, and Redknapp believes that the Reds should be going for the West Ham midfielder if they can’t get their hands on Jude Bellingham.
Bellingham, of course, is the midfielder that Liverpool have been most strongly linked with, but with rumours about Real Madrid persisting, they may well end up losing that race.
Redknapp says that if Liverpool don’t get Bellingham, they need to be in for Rice as a potential exit in the summer of 2023 looms for the 23-year-old.
Liverpool should go for Rice
“Klopp, I imagine, would have his heart set on him,” Redknapp said.
“But if you can’t get him (Bellingham), who is the other one? Who else might you be looking for? No disrespect to West Ham fans, but Declan Rice this summer it might be an option for him to move on, they need to be in the market for someone like him as well because that midfield area is getting tired.”
Safer bet
Jude Bellingham seemingly has a higher ceiling than Declan Rice. After all, he’s 19 and playing Champions League football, but there is reason to believe that Rice would be the safer bet.
Indeed, while it’s easy to get excited about Bellingham’s potential, he’s never actually kicked a ball in the Premier League, and England’s top flight is a different beast to the Bundesliga.
Rice has proven himself at this level time and time again, and while Bellingham could end up being the better player, Liverpool aren’t really in a position to be gambling at the moment, especially on what could potentially be one of the most expensive signings in the club’s history.
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