Liverpool warned of major Bellingham transfer obstacle due to Chelsea

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Liverpool have been warned that they have been dealt a blow in their pursuit of Borussia Dortmund star Jude Bellingham following Chelsea’s dealings in the January transfer market. The Premier League rivals had very different windows as the Blues spent over £300million on seven players and decided late in the window to break the British transfer record, while Jurgen Klopp’s outfit were slated for only signing Cody Gakpo from PSV.

One argument behind Liverpool’s lack of further investment beyond Gakpo this month is that despite the pressing need for new midfielders at Anfield, they are preparing to launch a bid for Bellingham in the summer. The England star is set to leave Germany and the Reds along with Real Madrid and Manchester City are the likeliest teams to get his signature.

Bellingham could fix a lot of Liverpool’s problems in the middle of the pitch but will cost at least £100m, while former Crystal Palace owner Simon Jordan has warned that following Chelsea’s record signing of Enzo Fernandez, Bellingham’s price will skyrocket even further and could reach £150m.

“They’re talking about Bellingham now, and Dortmund are going to be sitting there and rubbing their hands because of the situation that Liverpool find themselves in,” Jordan told talkSPORT. “If Liverpool can raise the cash, then it’s an interesting place to go because he can be part of a regeneration and part of the legacy of that football club.

“With Klopp in his pomp, I’d like to see him there. I hate this sort of conversation but if you’re going to talk about this kid going from Benfica for £105 million, then you’re looking at Bellingham, and you’re starting to move into the territory of £125-150 million. They won’t be asking for it on the drip either. They’ll be saying we have a load of suitors, so you pay it, and pay it now. And Real Madrid can pay what they want.”

Liverpool lack the financial backing that their rivals across Europe and a further outlay on top of the presumably prepared £120m would hit the Reds’ pockets harder and especially so if they fail to qualify for the Champions League this season. The club’s ownership is also in a state of flux as Fenway Sports Group could sell up before the summer, though there is no confirmation that a full sale will be sanctioned.

Liverpool icon Jamie Carragher is convinced that there will be a “big summer” in store for the club after a quiet January. “I am convinced Liverpool will have a big summer,” Carragher told Sky Sports.

“I am sure a lot of fans want them to have a big January, but I would not want Liverpool to go back to what they used to do when I was playing where you would be buying players and hoping that it would work.

“It is obvious they have been working on the Jude Bellingham transfer for a long time. They [Dortmund] were not going to sell him last summer, so maybe they thought let’s wait till this summer, and this midfield can get us through.”

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