After Jude Bellingham scored against Man City in the Champions League, new claims arose about a summer move to Liverpool. But are we to believe it?
Bellingham opened the scoring when Dortmund visited City in Group G on Wednesday night, only goals from John Stones and Erling Haaland to turn the tie around.
City eventually won 2-1, staying top of their group above Dortmund, FC Copenhagen and Sevilla, but after the match many of the headlines focused on Bellingham.
On the eve of the latest England squad announcement, with a West Midlands-born teenager starring against the English champions, it was perhaps no surprise that journalists went into hysteria.
Of course, so did the Liverpool supporters, as anticipation over a possible summer move to Anfield grows with the game.
On Thursday morning, Mike McGrath of the Telegraph, a typically reliable source of transfer news, produced a report with the headline: ‘Liverpool leading race to sign Jude Bellingham next summer’.
At first glance, it seemed like music to fans’ ears, but upon closer inspection, there’s little to get excited about when it comes to this latest update.
In truth, it can hardly be described as an upgrade, with McGrath merely covering old ground when it comes to the club’s long-standing interest in Bellingham.
“Liverpool are expected to lead the pursuit of Jude Bellingham next summer in a race that could drag Europe’s biggest clubs over Borussia Dortmund’s teenage midfielder,” the report begins.
They are not “leading the chase.” Just “expected”.
McGrath speculates that the 19-year-old “could be available for transfer in 2023”, with “sources poised for Liverpool to make their move if he looks at other clubs”.
Again, there is no concrete information on Liverpool’s search, nor clarification on whether Bellingham will push for an exit next summer.
Arthur’s loan signing is watched on deadline day, before the obvious is stated that Jurgen Klopp is expected to “consider that position further”.
This should always have been the case as, despite a purchase option being negotiated in the deal for Arthur, the Brazilian is unlikely to stay and could be followed by the out-of-contract trio Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, James Milner and Naby. Keita.
It can be argued that the only information highlighted in the report is from Bellingham himself, who told reporters before the trip to the Etihad: “Look beyond [Dortmund] and towards the future it would be a lack of respect”.
Liverpool are certainly interested in Bellingham, with Sky Germany journalist Florian Plettenberg claiming that together with Man United they have a “very good chance” of signing him, but there is nothing to see here.
