Manchester United will 'reignite' their interest in Borussia Dortmund sensation Jude Bellingham as they look to rival both Liverpool and Real Madrid for the 19-year-old's signature, according to reports.
The Daily Star claim the Red Devils will make a move for Bellingham, who is expected to end his three-year spell at the Bundesliga outfit next summer.
United had been heavily linked with a move for the midfielder at the end of the 2019/20 season when he was still at boyhood club Birmingham City, so much so that legendary manager Sir Alex Ferguson gave the Bellinghams a private tour of the club's training complex.
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Surprisingly, Bellingham decided to head to mainland Europe in favour of a proposal at Borussia Dortmund, which was no doubt influenced by Jadon Sancho's success in the North Rhine-Westphalia state after he had moved from Manchester City three years earlier.
However, despite the setback, the report states that United have kept close tabs on the midfielder and new boss Erik ten Hag has held meetings with the club's director of football, John Murtough, where it was established that Bellingham should be one of the top targets next summer.
Such developments come after reports emerged from Germany on Tuesday suggesting that Liverpool themselves will "go all out" for Bellingham next summer as they begin to commence the overhaul of their midfield. James Milner, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Naby Keita are all out of contract at Anfield, while Thiago Alcantara and Jordan Henderson will continue to rise into their mid-30s.
Sport Bild claims that Jurgen Klopp has convinced the club's owners Fenway Sports Group to set aside €100million (£86m) in order to try and entice Dortmund to part company with Bellingham in 2023. However, other publications have claimed that it would take a fee closer to €150m to prise him away from the Signal Iduna Park.
Liverpool's interest in the midfielder goes back nearly eight years, to when he was invited to train at the club's Kirkby academy during his time at Birmingham City's under-11s. According to The Athletic, he made a "lasting" impression on Liverpool's coaching staff with his maturity and ability, so much so that the Reds tried to seal a £9,000 move for the youngster. However, his parents Denise and Mark declined the offer of relocating to Merseyside.
Fast forward almost a decade and Klopp has been vocal in his admiration of the 19-year-old, and while he was quick to dismiss Liverpool's chances of pursuing a move for the midfielder back in July, he would clearly relish the chance to work with the England international.
"He's [Bellingham] not on the market, so that's the first problem with that player," said Klopp. "Well, the only problem with that player!"
Liverpool did add a midfielder to their ranks in the summer as Arthur Melo arrived from Juventus during the final hours of the transfer window after Jordan Henderson had limped off against Newcastle United with a hamstring injury the night before. The Brazilian's time on Merseyside, though, hasn't panned out how the club would have hoped - after looking to build up his fitness during the September international break by training with the club's under-21s side, the 26-year-old was ruled out for up to four months after requiring surgery on a muscle injury.
"He's here. It's a long-term injury and when he's back, we'll think about it again," said Klopp, when asked about the Brazilian's rehabilitation prior to the fixture against Leeds United last week. "I have no idea how long it will be, but it will be long.
"But at the moment, it's too far away. No [we won't terminate his loan in January]."
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