Liverpool have reportedly reached a verbal agreement with 19-year-old English international Jude Bellingham and hope to sign him next year.
Liverpool’s most high-profile target is Jude Bellingham, and Football Insider reports that fresh talks were held this week over the possibility of signing the midfielder in early 2023. In a big breakthrough, the Reds have now struck a ‘verbal agreement’ with the English international, and he could even join them at Anfield in the next transfer window.
The Reds have made a slow start to the new Premier League season and are currently languishing 16th in the Premier League table, with only two points on the board after three games.
Liverpool’s woes have been aggravated by an injury crisis in their midfield, with Naby Keita, Thiago Alcantara, Curtis Jones, and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain all out. With Jordan Henderson and James Milner now in their thirties, there is a case to suggest there is an over-reliance on Brazil international Fabinho.
The summer transfer window is winding down. And while there is still time to solve Liverpool’s lack of depth in midfield after missing out on the likes of Aurelien Tchouameni and Matheus Nunes, it seems the Reds are clearly holding out to invest in a midfielder next year despite the uncertainty surrounding Keita’s future at the club.
One of the most exciting youngsters in world football, Bellingham is understood to be Liverpool’s priority midfield target after a meteoric rise for Borussia Dortmund. He has racked up 11 goals and 19 assists in 94 appearances for Dortmund since joining from Birmingham City in 2020. And, despite being only 19 years old, he has already made 15 appearances for England.
However, Bellingham still has another three years remaining on his Borussia Dortmund deal after penning a contract extension last summer. The Bundesliga outfit, of course, are not willing to sell the 19-year-old this summer and have so far warded off any potential suitors.
Dortmund often sell their best players, though rarely multiple in the same window, and having sold Erling Haaland to Manchester City over the summer, Bellingham’s sale will have to wait until next year. Despite this, Liverpool are prepared to put their eggs in one basket and wait another year for the right man.
However, it appears the Liverpool hierarchy are not keen on repeating their mistake of this summer, when they lost Tchouaméni to Real Madrid. They are already laying the groundwork for a deal to sign Bellingham next year, with Los Blancos also competing for the Englishman.
The Liverpool chiefs have a growing belief they will succeed in signing long-term target Bellingham as early as January, although his arrival is more likely to be in the summer of 2023. And they have now taken a significant step towards securing the services of the 19-year-old, having reached a verbal agreement with the player.
It is certainly not a rubber-stamped confirmation that the Reds will be completing a marquee transfer for the 19-year-old English international. But it shows an air of confidence that this deal will be completed, and Liverpool taking proactive steps towards that aim.
