Borussia Dortmund sporting director Sebastian Kehl has not ruled out highly-sought midfielder Jude Bellingham staying at the club beyond the summer of 2023, with interest in the 19-year-old continuing to rise.
Bellingham, who made the move to the German side in 2020 from boyhood club Birmingham City, has enjoyed a meteoric rise over the last two seasons, which peaked when he became the youngest-ever player to feature in a European Championship fixture during last year's Euros.
His rise to prominence in Germany has seen sparked relentless links with a move to Liverpool, and current Champions League holders Real Madrid. However, following the sales of Jadon Sancho and Erling Haaland to Manchester United and Manchester City in successive summers, Dortmund have ruled out the possibility of losing their latest star once again this summer.
The firm stance from the Bundesliga outfit this summer, coupled with the Reds' need to improve their ever-ageing midfield next summer, has seen many outsiders join the dots and speculate that Jurgen Klopp's side could make a move for Bellingham next year.
However, Dortmund are not resigned to losing Bellingham next summer just yet, with sporting director Kehl - who played 274 times for Die Schwarzgelben - providing an update on the midfielder's situation.
"There is a lot of interest, I can imagine that," said the former midfielder. "Jude is a player who is known beyond the borders of Germany.
“I hope that Jude Bellingham will stay at BVB beyond 2023. I can see he feels super comfortable with us."
Liverpool are currently enduring an injury crisis in midfield, just three weeks into the new season, with Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Naby Keita, Thiago and Curtis Jones currently sidelined - leaving Klopp with no choice but to include youngsters such as Stefan Bajcetic and Bobby Clark in his match day squads so far this term.
Despite appearing content with his midfield options this campaign, earlier this week the Liverpool manager told reports that he was "wrong" in deciding not to bring in another midfielder this window.
"There is really nothing to say about it," Klopp said. "We are looking for it and if it is the right player we need him and if it is not the right player we don’t need him.
"I know we have had this discussion since it all started and I am the one who said we don’t need a midfielder and you were all right and I was wrong. Now we go for a midfielder. That’s the situation. But the specific point doesn’t change - we will do something but it has to be the right one."
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