Liverpool have reached a ‘verbal agreement’ with Jude Bellingham and hope to sign the teenager in a future window, according to a new report.
The Reds will continue to scour the market in the final week, however, as Jurgen Klopp jokingly admitted that he ‘was wrong’ with earlier claims he did not need reinforcements. Liverpool have made a slow start to the new season, drawing against Crystal Palace and Fulham before defeat at Manchester United.
Many of the problems - although not all - can be attributed to an already growing list of unavailable first-team options. Several of those injured have been concentrated in midfield, with Thiago Alcantara, Naby Keita, Curtis Jones and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain all sidelined for Saturday’s clash with Bournemouth.
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But Klopp and Liverpool have a proven track record of waiting for their top target, and reports (via Football Insider ) of a ‘verbal agreement’ between the club and Borussia Dortmund midfield sensation Bellingham suggest they may do similar again. The Bundesliga club are not willing to sell the 19-year-old this summer and have slapped a reported £100million price-tag on their man to fend off potential suitors.
But the England international’s contract at Westfalenstadion runs out in 2025, making next summer the ideal time for Dortmund to cash in - Bellingham’s value will diminish as he closes in on the final year of his deal. Liverpool will want to avoid a repeat of this summer, in which they seemingly missed out on Aurélien Tchouaméni to Real Madrid, and will be working hard behind the scenes.
But that does not necessarily mean the Reds will shut up shop for the final week of the window, with 90min reporting that the club are searching the market to 'double check' for last-minute midfield reinforcements to ease Klopp’s injury woes. The Liverpool boss admitted during his pre-Bournemouth press conference that the recruitment team remain active.
Klopp said: "I know we have had this discussion since it all started and I am the one who said we don’t need a midfielder and you were all right and I was wrong. Now we go for a midfielder. That’s the situation. But the specific point doesn’t change - we will do something but it has to be the right one.”
There were reports of a late move for Leandro Paredes, although Paris Saint-Germain boss Cristophe Galtier has since indicated he is bound for Juventus. The likes of Wolves midfielder Ruben Neves or RB Leipzig’s Konrad Laimer have also been linked, although both are unlikely to be allowed to leave their respective sides so late in the window.
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