Liverpool boss Jürgen Klopp may bypass England starlet next summer
Liverpool remain linked with move for Jude Bellingham
As arguably the hottest property in the English football sphere currently, Jude Bellingham is all but guaranteed to eventually leave Borussia Dortmund at some point down the road, but that moment could very well be this summer as Liverpool continue to be linked with interest in the 18-year-old full international.
Bellingham has risen rapidly through the player hierarchy at the Westfalenstadion first under Lucien Favre and then caretaker boss Edin Terzić, and now continues to thrive with Marco Rose at the helm having started each of Dortmund’s eight fixtures in all competitions thus far. His recent performance against Besiktas in the Champions League stands as a testament to just how vital he has become.
Jude Bellingham’s game by numbers vs. Beşiktaş:
70 minutes
100% shot accuracy
56 touches
10 duels won
7 touches in the opp. box
7 ball recoveries
6 take-ons attempted
5 take-ons completed
3 tackles made
2 clearances
2 shots
1 assist
1 goalAbsolutely superb. #UCL pic.twitter.com/CD0WbQSbHj
— Squawka Football (@Squawka) September 15, 2021
With Liverpool reaching the point of need where squad refreshment is the requirement, Bellingham certainly fits the bill given the circumstances surrounding veterans Jordan Henderson and James Milner.
Additionally, many cannot claim Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain has ever truly made the grade at Anfield, while the best of Naby Keita has also rarely been on full display with any measure of consistency.
Jürgen Klopp may still be unwilling to break the peace
With a mooted £80million move for the £47million valued midfielder (via Transfermarkt), Jürgen Klopp may still avoid a full attempt to lure Bellingham to Anfield given one specific aspect of his transfer record since he arrived at Liverpool; he has yet to raid Dortmund for its best and brightest in the six years since his departure from the Ruhr valley.
SOUTHAMPTON, ENGLAND – AUGUST 17: Jurgen Klopp, Manager of Liverpool acknowledges the fans following his teams victory in the Premier League match between Southampton FC and Liverpool FC at St Mary’s Stadium on August 17, 2019 in Southampton, United Kingdom. (Photo by Catherine Ivill/Getty Images)
Links over the years with the likes of Mario Götze, Marco Reus, Christian Pulisic, and Jadon Sancho have persisted, but Klopp never once pulled the trigger to strip his former charge of one of their key assets.
Grounds do indeed shift, and needs supersede any policy that is not signed in ink, but with such an understanding between Klopp and Dortmund (according to Bild), it may be that Liverpool will once again miss out on a talented footballer because of the simple notion of respect. And it is hard to say that it is not admirable.
