Borussia Dortmund midfielder Jude Bellingham has been dropped from Liverpool's summer transfer target list according to reports.
Liverpool’s top transfer priority had been the England international as manager Jurgen Klopp gets ready to restructure his team following a poor campaign. Liverpool has now chosen to divert their attention elsewhere due to the size of the necessary rebuild.
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Dortmund's demand was almost £130 million, together with wages and agents' costs, which would have eaten up a large portion of Klopp's transfer budget over the course of a summer.
Bellingham’s deal complicated
Liverpool look set to miss out on qualifying for the Champions League next season. They are also in need of a new midfield and backline.
According to senior Anfield sources, the deal wasn't feasible after extensive discussions, and they felt they couldn't afford to put all their eggs in one basket, especially since there are no guarantees that Bellingham will even leave Dortmund this summer or choose Anfield as his destination.
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Meanwhile, Bellingham's transfer to Liverpool was becoming less likely, according to The Athletic, who were reluctant to engage in a bidding battle. His purchase has also been strongly rumoured to involve Real Madrid and Manchester City.
Klopp sees Bellingham’s quality
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has spoken about the quality Jude Bellingham possesses and says he is an exceptional player.
Speaking about Bellingham in December, Klopp said: “I don’t like to talk about money when you talk about a player like him.
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“Everyone can see he is just exceptional. If you mention to someone who has no clue about football or who knows about football and has not watched it for a while ‘how old do you think Jude Bellingham is?’ I don’t think anyone would get even close to his age. They would say 28 or 29 because he plays so maturely. He played an exceptional World Cup. Absolutely exceptional.”
Liverpool will now concentrate on other targets, such as Chelsea's Mason Mount, who is expected to depart Stamford Bridge this summer. The club's scouts also have high regard for the Brighton combo of Moises Caicedo and Alexis Mac Allister as well as Ryan Gravenberch of Bayern Munich.