Exclusive: ‘More than meets the eye’ – Agent speaks about £97m Liverpool target who may have to be content with Anfield switch ‘next summer’

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It’s almost certainly going to be a summer of upheaval for Liverpool in terms of transfers, but one potential big name target may have to wait until the 2024 close season before heading to Anfield.

Borussia Dortmund and England midfielder, Jude Bellingham, has apparently long been a target for the Reds, and his style of play would be ideal to enable Liverpool to get back to playing the ‘heavy metal’ football that is a hallmark of a Jurgen Klopp side.

It seems that just like Ousmane Dembele and Erling Haaland before him, Bellingham was bought by the Bundesliga giants to be sold further down the line at immense profit, though super agent, Hadyn Dodge, doesn’t believe that Liverpool will pay over the odds for the 19-year-old, and possibly not for another year in any event.

‘I mentioned in my last piece that Liverpool went to their max with add-ons and everything – to around the £97m mark. I think there’s more than meets the eye here potentially though,’ he wrote in his exclusive column for CaughtOffside.

‘If they (Liverpool) can get both Rice and Mount for the same price as one player, two Premier League stars who’ve played over 200 games between them, it’s always going to be more beneficial. Then go out and get Bellingham next summer.’

From Bellingham’s point of view, and with international honours in mind, Gareth Southgate has shown that just because he isn’t yet in the Premier League, that isn’t a barrier for his Three Lions career.

Perhaps it’s even in the youngster’s best interests to stay in Germany for one more season, honing his skillset away from the glare of the English press, before being unleashed on Merseyside a year from now.

Dortmund will have to be more realistic with their transfer fee according to Dodge, however.

‘A lot of people are valuing Bellingham at £80m-£85m and I appreciate he’s a very, very good player and I really rate him, but I’m not sure Liverpool will overspend just for the sake of it,’ he added.

‘Once one deal like that gets agreed, the Man City’s and Real Madrid’s of this world will come in, and I don’t think Liverpool want to get into bidding wars.’

For now, Bellingham remains a Dortmund player and all of his focus has to be on winning the Bundesliga title.

More Stories Declan Rice Gareth Southgate Jude Bellingham Jurgen Klopp Mason Mount