According to numerous relatively reliable sources, after lengthy discussions within the club over the matter, Liverpool decided to withdraw from the race due to the services of Borussia Dortmund star Jude Bellingham. The claim came from the likes of Paul Joyce of The Times, James Pierce of The Athletic, Neil Jones of Goal.com, and Fabrizio Romano.
Bellingham has been Liverpool’s No. 1 target in the upcoming summer transfer window as they look for young, dynamic midfielders to refresh their squad. However, they seem to have come to terms with the fact that at the moment they simply cannot afford to spend €150m per player, which Dortmund are believed to be asking for and unwilling to budge. Not if they sign several players of the right level – and, admittedly, they need more than one.
Liverpool’s decision not to ‘put all their eggs in one basket’, even if it means abandoning a player they have admired for so long and who apparently admires them a lot, obviously makes good sense. On the other hand, one has to question their long-term strategy, given that last summer they apparently refused to look for anyone else after failing to sign Aurélien Chuameni; At that time, they decided to wait until Bellingham was on the market and opted for a temporary solution in the form of taking Arthur Melo on loan from Juventus.
Arthur has only made one appearance for the Merseysiders so far and the lack of quality options in the middle of the park has cost them an arm and a leg this season.
The event will be warmly welcomed by Manchester City and Real Madrid, who are also credited with a strong interest in the 19-year-old England international, although a stay in Dortmund after this summer cannot be ruled out either. .
Meanwhile, Liverpool moved on to alternative targets. They have recently been linked with the likes of Chelsea’s Mason Mount and Conor Gallagher, Brighton duo Alexis Mac Allister and Moises Caicedo, Wolves’ Matheus Nunez, Bayern Munich’s Ryan Gravenbirch and Leicester City’s Youri Tielemans. .