One of Liverpool’s most humiliating defeats this season has been dropping out of the race for England midfielder
Despite their long-term interest in Jude Bellingham, Liverpool will no longer pursue him.
Liverpool have dropped out of the race to sign Jude Bellingham.
Despite being a long-term admirer, Jurgen Klopp has decided not to pursue the Borussia Dortmund midfielder during the upcoming summer transfer window.
The Reds have been put off by an expected fee in excess of £100 million to bring Bellingham to Anfield. Instead, amid a lackluster 2022-23 season, they’re planning a rebuld in midfield, with several signings being prioritized.
The news broke late Tuesday night, and here’s what the national media had to say about it.
The Times – Paul Joyce
Meanwhile, the midfield has become the problem that many predicted, and results have conspired to keep Liverpool out of cup competitions and off the pace in the league.
Free transfers for Naby Keita and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain have occurred, injuries have occurred, and a drop in form from players such as Fabinho has highlighted weaknesses.
Clearly, the club believes an overhaul is now necessary, and additional signings may be sought in other areas as well. The situation is not comparable to that of Van Dijk or even Alisson, who joined for £65 million in the summer of 2018 to address a pressing goalkeeping issue. Rather, it necessitates more ammunition than a silver bullet. Only time will tell if they are shooting themselves in the foot.
Chris Bascombe writes for The Telegraph.
Liverpool’s owners, Fenway Sports Group, will also be aware of the critical eye cast on them by a section of the fanbase who believe the club’s failure to sign a midfielder last summer contributed to the club’s poor season.
The club’s message was that they were looking for the right player rather than any player. That was interpreted as a repeat of comments made in the summer of 2017, when Liverpool decided not to pursue a replacement for £75 million Virgil van Dijk because they were confident he could be signed later, with the centre-back joining the following January.
It was similar when Klopp signed £65 million goalkeeper Alisson Becker in 2018, after sticking with Loris Karius until the preferred alternative became available. The difference back then was that Liverpool felt they only needed to fill a few key positions, and they also bolstered their finances by selling Philippe Coutinho.
FSG has made no secret of their current difficulties in generating the revenues required to compete for the most expensive players. That is one of the reasons they have been looking for an outside investor, though even if a millionaire partner is found, it cannot be assumed that they will spend millions on transfers given the financial fair play rules in place, which are supposed to prevent clubs from spending more than their earnings.
Andy Hunter writes for The Guardian.
Klopp has instructed the club’s owners, Fenway Sports Group, to move quickly on transfer deals after losing out to Real Madrid last summer in the pursuit of midfielder Aurélien Tchouaméni. A protracted battle for Bellingham’s signature would increase the likelihood of other targets moving elsewhere, and Liverpool recognizes that they cannot afford to miss out on several other options.
Daily Mail’s Dominic King
Klopp hinted last week that Liverpool’s summer recruitment plans might not live up to fans’ expectations. However, this is not the first time he or the club has been willing to make an unpopular decision in order to focus on the big picture.
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