Liverpool are said to have Jude Bellingham fixed firmly in their sights for the 2023 summer window after a failed attempt to lure the Englishman away from the German top-flight this year.
It seems though that the club could have a fight on its hands to secure the midfielder’s signature with Real Madrid sure to compete with Jurgen Klopp’s men.
Indeed, it seems the Los Blancos camp is more than familiar with the teenager’s talent already with former Bundesliga star David Alaba waxing lyrical about the Borussia Dortmund man to one German outlet.
“As for Bellingham as a player, I can say that he is one of the greatest midfield talents in the world,” the Real Madrid man told Welt (via the Daily Star).
“And that at a young age!
“At just 19, he leads the team, doesn’t hide and already decides games with his style of play.”
It’s expected that it will take a significant fee to prise Bellingham away from Germany – potentially in the region of £100m – and bolster a Liverpool midfield in desperate need of fresh legs.
Though at a similar age to the likes of Fabio Carvalho and Harvey Elliott, the former Birmingham City youth prospect would arrive with a far more significant wealth of experience in top-flight and European football.
With Jordan Henderson and Thiago Alcantara both in their 30s and the likes of James Milner, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Naby Keita on expiring contracts – we need an injection of real quality in 2023.
Beyond that, we need more than just the one midfielder and may have already identified an additional option in that regard in the form of Konrad Laimer, whom a move was attempted for late in the last window.