Liverpool manager has discussed his admiration for Jude Bellingham, but says the midfielder is ‘not on the market’ in a hint that while a transfer may not be possible this summer, it may be in the future.
The Borussia Dortmund player has been heavily linked with a move to Liverpool for months, but with the Bundesliga side having already allowed star striker to join this summer, they have never been willing to countenance a second sale for a prize asset.
The England international came through the youth system at Birmingham City before moving to Germany aged just 17, becoming the most expensive player in history to purchased that age when Dortmund parted with a minimum of £25m to secure his signing.
Since then he has played 90 times for the Dortmund first-team, scoring ten goals, including one in the UEFA quarter-final against Manchester City when he was still only 17.
Klopp spoke to press while in Thailand for the first leg of Liverpool’s pre-season tour of Asia, revealing both his admiration for Bellingham and also the reason a transfer cannot happen this summer.
‘He’s not on the market, so that’s the first problem with that player,’ Klopp said, before revealing his admiration for Bellingham with a short quip: ‘Well, the only problem with that player!’
Liverpool were interested in signing France midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni from AS Monaco before he moved to Real Madrid, but have not pursued any other additions in the centre of the park since they missed out, leading many to assume that an approach for Bellingham will be made next summer. Klopp’s comments will only fuel that theory further.
For now, the Reds’ manager is pleased with his midfield options heading into the new campaign, with eight first-team midfielders at his disposal in a system which operates using three in the starting line-up.
With Curtis Jones still just 21, and Harvey Elliott and Fabio Carvalho only 19, Klopp has plenty of young midfielders to work with in Bellingham’s absence.
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