Newcastle United and England striker Callum Wilson has claimed that Liverpool still want to sign Jude Bellingham.
The Reds have stepped away from their pursuit of the Borussia Dortmund star after the scale of their required summer midfield overhaul became glaringly apparent.
But Wilson, who plays alongside Bellingham for England, believes it's all "politics".
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Speaking on The Footballer’s Football Podcast, he said: “Let’s be serious, they’re saying they’re pulling out because they want the fee to reduce. It’s football politics. It’s standard.
“Act like you’re not interested about something and all of a sudden it’s like: ‘no, no, no, we want you’.
“Liverpool’s a top football club, so you should be optimistic about getting anyone in your door.”
West Ham United forward Michail Antonio appeared on the podcast alongside Wilson. But he has a different opinion to his fellow Premier League forward.
Antonio said: “I’ll be honest, I feel they’re pulling out because they don’t feel like they’re gonna get him anyway.
“I don’t think they’re pulling out because of wages; I don’t think they’re pulling out because of price.
“They’re pulling out because they believe that – (or) they’ve probably heard something – and they know that he’s going somewhere else.”
The Reds had made Bellingham their top transfer target for much of the season. Dortmund, though, have slapped a price tag in excess of £100m on the player, who has more than two years remaining on his contract, and are under no pressure to sell.
With Liverpool needing to recruit several midfielders in the forthcoming transfer window, they have been compelled to reassess the viability of spending such a huge chunk of their funds on one player.
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