Former Liverpool forward Stan Collymore has urged his old club to move for Jude Bellingham amid ramped up interest in Leeds United’s Kalvin Phillips. Jurgen Klopp’s side have been eyeing multiple midfielders, with Gavi, Aurélien Tchouaméni and Phillips shortlisted.
Barcelona are set to hand Gavi a new contract with a €1 billion release clause, while 22-year-old Tchouaméni favours a move to Champions League winners Real Madrid. And now the Reds have set their sights on the Leeds midfielder in an attempt to rejuvenate an ageing midfield.
But former Anfield striker Collymore has urged the club to look overseas, with 18-year-old Jude Bellingham described as a ‘no brainer’.
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“I think that Jude Bellingham would be absolutely sensational.” Collymore told CaughtOffside . “I was reading this morning that James Milner will be offered a [contract] extension at Liverpool, but that Fabinho, Henderson, Thiago and Milner quadruple are getting older.
“So for me, somebody like Jude Bellingham would be an absolute no brainer.”
The teenager signed for Borussia Dortmund in 2020 for around £22.5 million, and has since played 90 games for the German outfit, with 10 goals and 18 assists to his name. Those performances have also earned an England call-up, and 12-capped Bellingham is in direct competition with his Leeds-based compatriot Phillips for the central midfield role.
A move for the former Birmingham City midfielder would silence talk of Phillips interest at Anfield, with Liverpool unlikely to spend big on both. But that doesn’t guarantee the 26-year-old’s status as a Whites player next season, with Premier League champions Manchester City also strongly interested and in the market for a Fernandinho replacement.
The Elland Road hierarchy have reportedly set a price tag of around £60 million for Phillips, who could well sign a new contract with the club and extinguish any transfer talk altogether. Any major development will likely take at least a couple of weeks, with both Bellingham and Phillips away with England on international duty.
