Jan Aage Fjortoft has confirmed that Jude Bellingham has yet to communicate with his entourage about a preferred destination in the summer, when Borussia Dortmund are expected to consider offers for their star prodigy.
Recent reports indicated that Real Madrid had gotten ahead of their European rivals in the race to sign the teenager, although the midfielder will meet with senior executives from the Bundesliga team about the possible exit process.
“The first thing that will happen now is that Jude Bellingham when Dortmund (the Bundesliga has not yet started) will sit down with [Hans-Joachim] Watzke and Sebastian Kehl and will talk about the process”, the Norwegian spoke on his YouTube channel.
“I think Dortmund know they will lose him and he doesn’t have any clauses in his contract, which means it could be a record fee – people are talking up to €150m.
“So who are the favourites? Real Madrid, as I was saying, there is something about this club, it is a myth, it is everything and all the greats in the world would have loved to play for that club at some point in their careers. But, when do you think is the right time to play for Real Madrid?
“Is it a final season they are heading to in their career or Jude Bellingham, an Englishman, who wants to go to England first and then maybe go to Real Madrid later, as Erling Haaland makes his plan to go to Spain after of some years here in England.
“The usual suspects in England will be Liverpool, with the advantage being Jurgen Klopp. I’ve talked to teammates and players he used to play with and they say he has this confidence and feeling that he’s going to get caught, that his relationship with CEO Watzke will help him, but it’s about money and it’s also about what Jude Bellingham wants. to do.
“You saw during the World Cup that Henderson did everything he could to convince him to come here.
“That’s normal. Jude Bellingham is a player who can play in positions 6, 8, 10: he’ll score goals, he’ll give you the best attitude, he’s a leader on the pitch, so you understand Liverpool are desperate to get it.
“But there is also an external opportunity for Manchester City. Manchester City and Pep Guardiola will always look for the best players in the world.
“He is a young player. We will assume that Erling Haaland will try to do the same as Jordan Henderson does.
“Manchester City’s downside is that they have so many midfielders. Maybe the position here, he will have that job right away at Liverpool as they need to restart that position in their team.”
The Merseysiders are said to be uninterested in shelling out any cash on a midfielder in the January window, as has been emphasized by his absence in any deal with Benfica for Enzo Fernandez.
READ MORE: ‘Final stages of deal’: Portuguese transfer expert releases big update on future of Liverpool-linked World Cup jewel
A fee of around €150m (£132.9m) would absolutely crush our current transfer record, even factoring in Darwin Nunez’s full £85m fee (should they be activated). all its accessories).
Liverpool have to regard such a deal as a serious (and much-needed) investment in a department that is in desperate need of FTA at the moment, let alone come the summer when as many as three midfielders could leave once their contracts expire. .
If Jordan Henderson’s performance against Leicester City last night was any indication, it’s clear we can’t stop there either and some serious competition for the number 6 spot is required when Fabinho is absent through injury or out of form.
Leaving all that potential business for the summer window seems like a big risk when sitting outside the top four (as things currently stand), though there’s no lack of confidence when it comes to our team’s decision-making. recruitment. .
Exclusive: Every word of our Sofyan Amrabat interview with Аnas Bakhkhar: Will the Moroccan sign for the Reds?
