Neither Jude Bellingham nor Ruben Neves look set to join Liverpool before this week’s transfer deadline.
Both players have been linked with potential late high-profile moves to Anfield before the window closes at 11pm BST on Thursday night (September 1), after ongoing injury issues experienced by the likes of Thiago Alcantara, Naby Keita, Curtis Jones and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain led Jurgen Klopp to perform a public U-turn on his stance over recruiting a new midfielder.
However, England international Bellingham looks primed to stay at Borussia Dortmund, whose sporting director Sebastian Kehl told Sky 90: “I hope that Jude Bellingham will stay at BVB beyond 2023. I can see he feels super comfortable with us.”
Bellingham is currently tied to Dortmund until the summer of 2025 and has also been mentioned in connection with Manchester United, Chelsea and Real Madrid, among other leading European heavyweights.
Meanwhile, Neves started and scored the opening goal in Wolves’ frustrating 1-1 Premier League draw against Newcastle at Molineux on Sunday.
Afterwards, Wolves boss Bruno Lage reiterated that he was almost certain that the Portuguese captain - also previously a target for the likes of Manchester United himself - would stay put for another season, with his current contract set to run until 2024.
“I can confirm I’m 99 per cent sure that Ruben Neves will stay at Wolverhampton this summer,” Lage told Sky Sports.
Barcelona’s Frenkie de Jong is another player to be linked with Liverpool as they target that late midfielder swoop, but he seems likely to stay at Barcelona after protracted talks with Manchester United and Chelsea and a row over deferred salary payments at the Camp Nou.
Inter Milan’s Italian Euro 2020 winner Nicolo Barella is rumoured to be another potential option for the Reds, who have signed only the trio of Darwin Nunez, Fabio Carvalho and Calvin Ramsay this summer and bounced back from a winless start to the new season at Anfield on Saturday by putting nine goals past newly-promoted Bournemouth without reply - equalling the largest wins in Premier League history in the process.
