Robbie Fowler admits he is unsure whether Liverpool can compete with Europe's richest clubs when it comes to signing Jude Bellingham.
Jurgen Klopp's side had been linked with a move for the 19-year-old midfielder throughout the summer, but Borussia Dortmund's £100million price-tag and unwillingness to negotiate - understandably, given Bellingham's contract runs until 2025 - kept any potential suitors at bay. The teenage sensation is likely to play a pivotal role in any English success at the World Cup later this year, as well as enjoying another season of development in the Bundesliga with Dortmund.
Bellingham's likely progress throughout this season somewhat justifies Dortmund's reported £130million valuation, but while the major spending powers in European football may happily enter a bidding war for the midfielder, ex-Liverpool striker Fowler has questioned whether his old club will be willing to do the same.
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“According to the noises coming out of Borussia Dortmund, it will take an offer in excess of £130million to tempt them to cash in [on Bellingham],” Fowler wrote in his Mirror column. “If that's what it's going to cost for Dortmund to do business then the small pool of clubs who will be in the running for Bellingham's signature will probably diminish even further.
“Manchester City, Chelsea, Real Madrid and Paris St Germain have that kind of financial might. But anyone else? I'm not so sure. There is a lot of excitement amongst Liverpool fans that Bellingham is destined for Anfield.
“But while Liverpool have not blinked in the past when it has come to breaking the bank for the right player - think Virgil van Dijk, Alisson and Darwin Nunez - it remains to be seen whether the club's owners would allow themselves to be lured into a bidding war.”
Bellingham laid down another marker during Dortmund's Champions League clash against Manchester City earlier this month, scoring the opener with an instinctive header while looking comfortable in a midfield battle that included the likes of Kevin De Bruyne and Rodri. Despite defeat on the night, the teenager's performance on football's biggest stage was another glowing reference for his young but established CV.
It was exactly the kind of midfield performance Liverpool could have done with so far this season, and Fowler added that, despite his doubts over the Reds' financial power, landing Bellingham next summer would have a similar refreshing effect on the squad as Virgil van Dijk's arrival in 2017.
“He will have his pick of clubs next summer,” Fowler added. “It goes without saying that I would love to see him playing under Jurgen Klopp at Liverpool. Not least because it would take the Kop about five minutes to come up with some alternative lyrics to the Beatles classic 'Hey Jude' if it did happen!
“Bellingham is the kind of player Klopp needs. Liverpool have had an uninspired start to the season. But it was only four months ago that Klopp’s side took themselves to within two games of immortality.
“Let's not forget how close Liverpool were to winning the Champions League and Premier League to the FA Cup and Carabao Cup last May. The suggestion that their squad requires a complete rebuild is nonsense.
“But every team needs to be refreshed now and then - and I think the arrival of Bellingham next summer would lift Liverpool in the same way that signing Van Dijk once did.
“Will it happen? I don't think anyone knows with any certainty where Jude Bellingham will be playing his football next season. But one thing I am sure of is that any elite club with ambitions of keeping themselves at the very top of the game have to evolve.”
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