Alan Hutton has suggested that Jude Bellingham could be a ‘mainstay’ for Liverpool for the next decade should the Reds manage to land the £132m valued star.
The Merseysiders will form part of a long queue for the Englishman’s signature come the next summer window, should he be prepared to take a leap away from the German top-flight.
“You have to look at Bellingham as a long-term investment. You are not buying a player for a couple of seasons,” the former Aston Villa man told Football Insider.
“It is a signing for the next 10 years. Bellingham could be the mainstay of that team.
“Yes, £132million is high but I think he is worth it. He is so down to earth. Nothing seems to faze him. To play at such a high level at such a young age really is incredible.”
The midfielder’s entourage may very well choose to advise him on remaining another year, as Graeme Bailey noted was a possibility, in a bid to follow Erling Haaland’s stellar example.
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Such an eventuality may better suit us financially, though it would do little to resolve a serious concern for Liverpool as far as the status of our midfield is concerned.
Naby Keita, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and James Milner all have less than a year left on their contracts, so we know it’s possible the club could lose as many as three midfielders next summer, which would leave us in a difficult position, regardless of how fans feel about the options mentioned.
As far as we’re concerned serious quality is an absolute must from one potential transfer option – a box Bellingham firmly ticks – whilst we also need another midfield signing with a high talent ceiling if not the capacity to make an immediate impact to such an extent that we’d expect from the Borussia Dortmund favourite.