To say that Liverpool have been following Jude Bellingham for a long time would be an understatement, as their first signing for the midfielder came a decade ago.
Bellingham was just nine years old and playing for Birmingham’s under-11s when he first approached his family about moving to Merseyside.
Liverpool were one of several teams to court the youngster in the early 2010s as he made impressive early forays into the football academy with his boyhood club.
According to The Athletic, that included a two-day trial at the academy’s training ground in Kirkby in 2012, where Bellingham, accompanied by his parents, took part in training and toured the facility.
“During his stay he made a lasting impression on the staff,” explains James Pearce, “not only because of his ability but also because of his maturity.”
Matt Newbury, at the time an academy scout for Liverpool, had recommended that Bellingham had previously worked as an academy recruiting officer for Birmingham, with a compensation deal of just £9,000.
But despite their attempts to convince the player and his family to move from the Midlands, they decided to stay where they were and also turned down Chelsea and Man City.
That decision clearly paid off, with Bellingham breaking into Birmingham’s first team aged just 16 and making such an impression that, following his £30m move to Dortmund in 2020, the club retired his number 22 shirt.
“Liverpool respected his decision and continued to closely monitor his progress,” explains Pearce.
Of course, Bellingham’s development is now closely watched in the English media, with a record move to the Premier League mooted for 2023.
Liverpool are hoping to be the club to convince him to return to England, although The Athletic reports that Dortmund value the 19-year-old at around £131m.
Those within the Reds’ recruiting squad are said to see Bellingham as “the complete box-to-box midfielder”, while it’s clear that Jurgen Klopp has a crush on the youngster.
However, Dortmund sources have stressed that there has been no “contact” with Liverpool yet, and they are not resigned to losing their number 22, who also attracts Real Madrid, Man City, Man United and Chelsea.
