Liverpool Might Have To Look For Jude Bellingham Alternatives In January

Barely a day passes without speculation around the future of Jude Bellingham. The 19-year-old was one of the star performers of the 2022 World Cup with the world’s biggest, and richest, clubs now reportedly monitoring the Borussia Dortmund midfielder ahead of the January transfer window. Liverpool are one of those clubs.

Liverpool’s interest in Bellingham is a long standing one. Jurgen Klopp has been asked about the teenager and the prospect of him signing for the Anfield club many times this season with the Reds in desperate need of replenishment in the centre of the pitch. Bellingham would tick a lot of boxes.

“I am the wrong person to ask, I don’t know,” Klopp responded when asked if Liverpool would move for Bellingham in January. “January in our situation is a window where we are always prepared, that’s how it is,” Klopp told reporters. It’s clear what ideas we have and how the necessity is from our point of view. All the rest doesn’t lie 100% in our hands. We always work with what we have got and that will not change.”

Klopp has also spoken more than once about Liverpool’s need for at least one new midfielder. As a player with natural technical ability and physical attributes, Bellingham would do a lot to rejuvenate this crucial area of Liverpool’s team, but are they willing to wait for their number one target?

There is a lot of interest in Bellingham. Manchester United came close to signing the midfielder before he joined Borussia Dortmund and recent reports claim they could make another move for the 19-year-old – just like Liverpool, United need reinforcements in central midfield as Erik Ten Hag remoulds the team at Old Trafford.

Chelsea have been linked with Bellingham in the past while Manchester City have the money to tempt Dortmund with an offer for their prize asset. Real Madrid, however, could be Liverpool’s biggest rival for the signing of the England international with the Spanish giants ready to partner Bellingham with Eduardo Camavinga and Aurelien Tchouameni.

Liverpool might have no choice but to look elsewhere. Enzo Fernandez was another young midfielder who caught the eye at the 2022 World Cup, but the Argentine joined Benfica only six months ago and so Liverpool would have to activate his €100m release clause to sign him in the January transfer window.

Moises Caicedo has been a key figure for Brighton this season and has the drive to succeed in a Klopp midfield. Sofyan Amrabat would be a cheaper option, but the 26-year-old might not have the ceiling of Bellingham or Fernandez – the Moroccan hadn’t been considered an elite level performer until the 2022 World Cup.

January presents Liverpool with a crossroads. Some areas of their team are in need of reconstruction, none more so than the midfield and Bellingham looks like the perfect player to address this. If, however, Klopp can’t get his hands on the 19-year-old, he might be forced to look for the next best candidate.