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Liverpool Echo

Sport

Keifer MacDonald

Five players Liverpool could scout at the World Cup beyond Jude Bellingham

Jude Bellingham World Cup Declan Rice Jonathan David Jurgen Klopp Noah Okafor Youssoufa Moukoko Marcelo Brozovic Gareth Southgate Luka Modric

Saturday's 3-1 defeat of Southampton left Liverpool in a very unusual situation.

As the stars of the game jet off on their journeys to Qatar in the hope of achieving World Cup glory, Anfield will be vacated until the visit of Leicester City on December 30 as Jurgen Klopp's side are freed from the shackles of Premier League duty for the next six weeks.

One name that will be watched like a hawk is Borussia Dortmund and England midfielder Jude Bellingham, who is set to have a pick of Europe's top clubs next summer when he is expected to bring the curtain down on his three-year stint in the Bundesliga.

But apart from the 19-year-old star, who else should Liverpool be keeping a close eye on ahead of a potential move to Anfield in future widows?

Noah Okafor - Switzerland

Noah Okafor is a name that might be unknown to Liverpool supporters given that rumours linking him with a move to Anfield only started to circulate in recent weeks. The Red Bull Salzburg midfielder is part of Switzerland's 26-man squad for the finals at the age of just 22. Just nine appearances into his international career, Okafor is expected to force his way into Murat Yakin's side for the Qatar contest.

The 22-year-old is primarily a box-to-box midfielder and has amassed seven goals in 14 Austrian Bundesliga appearances so far this season.

Reports emerging from Germany earlier this week suggested that he could be available in January for between €35m-€40m. Switzerland will face Cameroon, Serbia and favourites Brazil in the group stage.

Jonathan David - Canada

Unlike Okafor, Reds supporters will be familiar with the name of Lille striker Jonathan David, who is set to burden the weight of expectation for Canada at the Qatar finals over the next few weeks.

David was instrumental in his nation booking their sport at their first World Cup in 36 years as he bagged five goals during the qualifying campaign.

While Bayern Munich defender Alphonso Davies will receive much of the spotlight, David's record since making the switch from Gent to the Ligue 1 side in 2018 - 41 goals in 111 games - is enough to warrant keeping a close watch on the 22-year-old.

Liverpool have been heavily linked with a move for David since he has risen to prominence in France, where he helped Lille topple PSG and win the French title in 2020.

If he is able to guide Canada to some kind of success this winter, David will no doubt have plenty of suitors contending for his signature come January.

Youssoufa Moukoko - Germany

Scarily, Youssoufa Moukoko will be younger than most of those visiting this page. At 17 years old, the Borussia Dortmund superstar is being tipped to enjoy a breakout tournament in Qatar after he was a surprise inclusion in Hansi Flick's 26-man squad for the finals.

Moukoko is a name that will resonate with those who are avid followers of the UEFA Youth League and have therefore witnessed the extraordinary ability the German owns in the final third.

The prodigy is said to have fired an incredible 141 goals in 88 youth-team matches as he rose through the Dortmund ranks and was therefore handed his Bundesliga bow on his 16th birthday, making him the youngest player in the league's 59-year history.

The 2014 winners boast plenty of talent in attack, with the likes of Thomas Muller and Leroy Sane, but - similarly to Kylian Mbappe in 2018 - Moukoko's unpredictability could make him the tournament's breakout star.

Marcelo Brozovic - Croatia

Another name that has been continuously linked with a move to Anfield in recent transfer windows, Marcelo Brozovic. The Inter Milan midfielder seems to possess all the qualities Jurgen Klopp desires and is perhaps the nearest replacement Liverpool could uncover to Gini Wijnaldum, who departed the club in 2021.

This winter the 29-year-old will line up for the 2018 finalists, Croatia, alongside Real Madrid stalwart Luka Modric in what will be his third major international tournament. Between them, Modric and Brozovic boast over 200 caps for the senior side.

At club level, the midfielder caught the eye while playing for Inter Milan and was part of the side that won the Scudetto under former manager Antonio Conte in 2021. Croatia will face Morocco, Canada and Belgium.

Declan Rice - England

Declan Rice heads to Qatar as one of Gareth Southgate's most important players and any success the Three Lions enjoy will no doubt be partly down to the performance of the West Ham skipper.

Rice, succeeding Mark Noble in his first season as the Hammers' captain, was one of England's unsung heroes as they reached the Euro 2020 final last July. His performances in midfield alongside Kalvin Phillips were crucial to Southgate's side reaching a first major tournament final since 1966.

Having helped West Ham to the Europa League semi-finals last season, Rice's stock has exponentially risen over the past 18 months as he has gained admirers from all corners of the English game. There is a reason he is being touted as a potential Bellingham alternative, even if he does command his own astronomical fee.

All the signs seem to be pointing to Rice re-joining boyhood club Chelsea if he was to leave West Ham in one of the upcoming transfer windows, but another fine string of international displays in Qatar could see Rice have his own queue of suitors once he returns to English soil.

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