‘Finances aside…’ – Reliable reporter shares insight on Liverpool’s failed Bellingham pursuit

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James Pearce has explained that financial concerns weren’t the only reason for Liverpool pulling out of the race to sign Jude Bellingham.

The 19-year-old had been linked with the Reds for a number of months but instead looks set to join Real Madrid (The Mirror), with the Merseysiders moving away from a prospective deal due to the prohibitive £135m it would’ve taken to sign him (The Guardian).

In a matchday Q&A for The Athletic, the reliable reporter has now added that the player’s apparent desire for a move to the Bernabeu rather than Anfield was also a significant factor in FSG cooling their interest in the player.

Pearce explained: “Finances aside, one important factor in LFC’s decision to drop out of the race was the fact that the Bellingham camp had not said that LFC was their destination of choice.

“Real Madrid is where he wants to go. It remains to be seen how much they end up paying for him, but Real’s hand is strengthened by the fact that he’s ‘picked’ them.”

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The stratospheric numbers reportedly being demanded by Borussia Dortmund were always going to make it difficult for Liverpool to land Bellingham, while the Reds missing out on the wealth and prestige of the Champions League didn’t help either.

Also, with Pearce now revealing that the player’s heart was set on Real Madrid all along, that would’ve made it all the harder for the Reds to have won this high-profile transfer race.

It’s obviously a big blow for Jurgen Klopp and co to be eclipsed in their lengthy pursuit of such a gifted young player, but it seems that they weren’t licking their wounds for too long, judging by the reports of a possible deal for Alexis Mac Allister getting ever closer (Football Insider).

The Argentine is reportedly set to cost £70m if Liverpool sign him (Sky Sports), which is just under half of the apparent price for Bellingham, so FSG could ultimately end up with two high-quality midfielders for roughly what the England international would’ve set them back.

That’d be the perfect tonic to atone for losing out to Real Madrid for the 19-year-old, who looks as if he’ll get his wish of a move to the Spanish capital.

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