Here is your Liverpool morning digest for Monday, August 29.
Dortmund transfer plan for Jude Bellingham made clear amid Liverpool rumours
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.
READ MORE: Jurgen Klopp faces Tsimikas decision as Carvalho dilemma continues for Liverpool
READ MORE: 'We need a lot of midfielders' - Virgil van Dijk makes Liverpool midfield admission
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.
Read the story in full HERE.
Liverpool pulled off transfer coup for player who was 'part Iniesta, part Kante'
The summer of 2017 was a big one for Jurgen Klopp and Liverpool. Fresh from getting the club back into a position to qualify for the Champions League, hopes were high for an exciting campaign ahead.
Despite getting a fourth place finish the previous campaign, Klopp knew that he needed to invest in the squad. And so began one of the most memorable transfer sagas in Liverpool’s recent history.
Mohamed Salah, Andy Robertson and Dominic Solanke were all brought to the club, while Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain arrived in the closing hours of the window. But another deal was struck on this day in 2017, and one of a unique nature in Liverpool’s circumstances.
On this day, Liverpool agreed a deal to sign Naby Keita from RB Leipzig. The Reds agreed to pay a premium on top of the player’s £48million release clause, which kicked into effect in 2018, and eventually reached £52.75m.
It was a deal that surprised many, but not because of who the player was. Keita had been linked with Liverpool all summer, and was one of Klopp’s main targets for that window.
Rumours about Liverpool’s interest in Keita started to ramp up in the closing months of the 2016/17 season. At the end of that campaign, Klopp outlined how he and then-sporting director Michael Edwards had already got their plans ready for the summer transfer window.
READ NEXT:
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- What Jurgen Klopp did after Roberto Firmino substitution shows Liverpool question finally answered
- Liverpool and Jude Bellingham 'agreement set' as Reds 'double check' market for extra signing
- Liverpool defender started 'drinking and smoking' before two red cards and angry falling out with manager after mystery illness
