Liverpool have pulled out of the race to sign Jude Bellingham due to the potential cost of the deal, handing Chelsea and other admirers a welcome transfer boost in the process.
The Merseyside club were once thought to be the favourites to sign the 19-year-old this summer, laying the groundwork for a number of transfer windows, but have now decided the mooted £130million price tag is too much.
It leaves Chelsea, Manchester City, Manchester United and Real Madrid all weighing up their own summer move for the Borussia Dortmund midfielder. Madrid remain confident of landing the England international, while City are expected to provide the strongest competition.
Chelsea, though, know Bellingham is keen to join a club that is competing for titles and playing in the Champions League, leaving the Blues needing to win Europe’s elite competition this season as they prepare to face Real Madrid over two legs.
They are 11th in the Premier League and increasingly unlikely to qualify for any European competition, not just the Champions League itself. The lack of qualification could also hit the bottom line at Stamford Bridge with an estimated £100m to be lost in revenue next season.
Bellingham is joined on Chelsea’s shortlist by cheaper options that include Declan Rice, Moises Caicedo and Romeo Lavia.
The Blues must be careful over their finances after being placed on a UEFA watchlist, having recently registered a £121m loss and spent over £600m across the last two transfer windows.
Money will be raised, however, through player sales this summer. Chelsea will sell off at least eight first-team stars, alongside some of their loanees and academy players and that could offer them a route to signing more players.
Liverpool continue to target Chelsea’s homegrown midfielder Mason Mount, who is expected to be the Reds’ key target after giving up on Bellingham and any sale would boost the Blues’ coffers.
Jurgen Klopp is keen to add both midfielders and homegrown stars to his squad, with James Milner and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain both expected to leave this summer.
Mount, along with fellow academy graduate Conor Gallagher, have been sounded out for a move to Anfield.
Chelsea will sell Mount if he decided against renewing his deal, which currently runs out in 2024, while they consider Gallagher a sellable asset to navigate any future financial trouble.
The Blues could also sell Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Mateo Kovacic, who are also approaching the last years of their contracts.
