With the benefit of hindsight, it might appear as though Liverpool's cooled interest in Jude Bellingham had in fact been hiding in plain sight for quite some time.
It became apparent on Tuesday evening that the Reds had finally decided that spending between £115-130m on one player at a time when significantly more additions are needed in the midfield area was a counter-productive strategy for the long term.
Despite being linked to Bellingham for the best part of 18 months, Liverpool have taken the decision to look elsewhere as they now weigh up what might be possible for a transfer budget that is almost certain to be impacted by a lack of Champions League football next season.
