Danny Murphy believes Jurgen Klopp could try to lure Jude Bellingham to Liverpool with a tactic the German has used before.
The Reds are locked in a transfer tussle with Real Madrid and Manchester City for the Borussia Dortmund midfielder, with journalist Jacque Talbot telling Football Transfers that some Anfield legends ‘anticipate’ the 19-year-old to come to Merseyside, with their belief that ‘the deal is a matter of formalities’.
The other two suitors in pursuit of the teenager are still in the Champions League and look well placed to be in the competition again next season, something LFC cannot boast.
However, Murphy doesn’t think that’ll be an impediment to Liverpool’s hopes of landing Bellingham, and he’s backed Klopp to use a sales pitch similar to the one with which he enticed Virgil van Dijk to the club.
The 46-year-old wrote in his column for The Daily Mail: “I’m sure Real Madrid would love him but I have a hunch he may prefer to return to England and be closer to the family.
“Jurgen Klopp told Virgil van Dijk he’d win titles at Manchester City but still be forgotten 10 years later whereas at Liverpool he’d be a legend forever. I wouldn’t be surprised if the same kind of sell may be used on Bellingham.
“Unlike Rice, he has experienced Champions League football so it might not be such a crushing blow if Liverpool don’t make it for one year.”
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Murphy’s argument about Bellingham potentially going down as a Liverpool legend if he wins major trophies at the club is a fair one.
Even those players who mightn’t be considered leading lights of the teams which won the Champions League and Premier League at the turn of the decade are sure to be recounted in glowing terms after they’ve departed Anfield.
The same can be said for some of the more unsung heroes of Rafael Benitez’s side which became champions of Europe in 2005, with their role in that incredible triumph cementing their legacy long after they’ve retired.
Drawing upon what Murphy has said, Van Dijk is set to be deemed a legend of the club in future years for his part in the trophies Liverpool have won during his time on Merseyside. With a bit of luck, that selling point might strike a chord with Bellingham.
On another point made by the former Reds midfielder, the Dortmund star might settle for one year out of the Champions League if Klopp’s side miss out on the top four, having already played in the competition.
The best case scenario? We get top four and entice the 19-year-old to Anfield for next season!