Liverpool press ahead with Jude Bellingham transfer bid but uncertainty surrounds summer plans

Liverpool are moving forward with Jude Bellingham’s transfer offer, but summer plans are uncertain

Liverpool are rushing towards a crucial summer transfer window with so much uncertainty, but Jude Bellingham remains top target

It was another international break with Liverpool continuing to flutter their eyelashes softly at Jude Bellingham’s direction.

From Trent Alexander-Arnold attending a Chris Brown concert with his England teammate, Jordan Henderson posting catch-up sessions with him and Steven Gerrard praising his face for the Channel 4 cameras, Bellingham is sure to hear Love Liverpool from every angle right now.

It was reported last week that Bellingham is considered “increasingly unlikely” to join the Reds this summer, due to the buying power of rivals Real Madrid and Manchester City and their ability to offer the 19-year-old an exorbitant fee. . , attractive weekly salaries.

However, such a prospect is not necessarily a new obstacle for Liverpool and the strong interest from elsewhere is not seen as prohibitively expensive within the club, although it will be accepted that it will cost a record fee to sign him. The Borussia Dortmund man remains the Reds’ number 1 target. What is less clear, however, is who else Liverpool are working towards. Inevitably, at a time when the midfield is in need of a major overhaul, Jurgen Klopp continues to be linked with a multitude of names.

Wolverhampton Wanderers’ Matheus Nunes is certainly someone who has his admirers in the corridors of power at Anfield. The Brazil-born Portugal international hasn’t had a stellar year at Molineux but he remains someone they’re evaluating ahead of what is expected to be a busy and crucial summer.

Mason Mount from Chelsea is another who continues to be linked with a move to Anfield. The England international’s contract expires in the summer of 2024 and with the drastic influx of players at Stamford Bridge during Todd Boehly’s previous two transfer windows, Mount is said to be weighing his options. At 24 and with his bourgeois status, the attacking midfielder is someone who could seduce.

Klopp recently hinted that the club have been valuing the market since September, but Liverpool are currently in a somewhat unusual position. It is the first season since 2018 that participation in the Champions League the following season is not certain.

The Reds enter their final twelve games seven points behind Tottenham, who are no longer in coaching and currently bottom of the Champions League. Two games in hand make that prospect more palatable, but inconsistencies have plagued Klopp’s side all season while Newcastle are also five points ahead of Liverpool having played the same number of games.

It presents Klopp with the very real prospect of missing European competition for the first time since 2017. The financial repercussions that will come from a club forced to strictly adhere to the self-sufficiency model imposed by Fenway Sports Group will certainly have consequences. A lack of Champions League football will of course also make it more difficult from a sporting point of view to attract top players.

FSG’s continued quest for new investment is also perhaps making it more difficult for Liverpool on a day-to-day basis to know exactly what is feasible in terms of budgets. “We continue to build responsibly at Liverpool Football Club,” principal owner John W. Henry told ECHO earlier this month. “We have seen many football clubs (including LFC before) go down unsustainable paths. We have and will continue to focus on wise investment in the transfer market and remain incredibly proud of our squad.

“At the same time, we continue to invest in our training facilities, our main stand and currently the Anfield Road stand. These are all physical reflections of our determination and how seriously Fenway Sports Group takes its responsibilities for this great club.”

It’s something those working at the AXA Training Center haven’t had much to do with in recent years, as Champions League qualification was known months in advance. Last year, the Reds confirmed Fabio Carvalho as a future Liverpool player well ahead of his official summer move from Fulham, while a deal for Darwin Nunez was clinically discussed by sporting director Julian Ward in face-to-face talks with his team. Benfica counterpart Rui Costa. in Lisbon in June, when it was clear that Sadio Mané was destined for Bayern Munich.

This time around, there’s no such luxury and the landscape is less clear for the recruiting team, meaning longer lists of potential targets have been drawn up. During the mid-season break, insiders spoke of there being essentially two lists depending on where the club end up this period and it is understood that more players are currently being valued than usual .

One useful aspect that Liverpool will likely have in their favor is the lightening of the load regarding their wage bill this summer. With Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Naby Keita set to leave as free agents, as things stand, a significant sum will be saved. The departure of Roberto Firmino will also help enormously in this regard, although Klopp has previously indicated that he would like to keep James Milner for another year, having signed a one-year low-wage contract last year.

Liverpool don’t release exact figures on what their players earn for obvious reasons, but the total wage bill stands at around £368million, which is one of the biggest in the sport. The departure of players like Oxlade-Chamberlain, Keita and goalkeeper Adrian will help free up capital for arrivals, while Arthur Melo will also return to Juventus once his loan expires.

“Of course the players will leave,” said Virgil van Dijk after the 1-0 loss to Real Madrid earlier this month. “Obviously it was announced, so we have to [recruit], If we want to be where we have been for five years, of course we need quality imports, especially when the players leave. I think it’s pretty obvious.

“But everyone knows it will be very difficult, it will be very difficult to find the right players, but the club have to do their job in this case.

“We still have a lot of games ahead of us and we want to be in the Champions League. I think that will also help attract the best players in the world. Not always, but it will definitely help.”

This uncertainty presents a less than ideal scenario for Liverpool and their recruitment staff as they head into a massive summer and those tasked with restructuring the squad must once again prove the skilful and agile way of working for which they are. become known in recent years.