Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp has heaped praise on the “exceptional” Jude Bellingham amid the Borussia Dortmund star's links with a switch to Anfield.
The Reds have been credited with an interest in Bellingham on a number of occasions in the past, with Jurgen Klopp thought to be a big fan. Meanwhile, rivals Manchester City and Manchester United are also admirers of the Englishman, while Real Madrid had previously emerged as frontrunners for his signature next summer.
The central midfielder was one of the stars of the World Cup as he shone in the heart of England’s midfield, leading Liverpool to step up their interest in signing Bellingham. While he is not expected to move on in January, Dortmund are preparing to cash-in on their star in the summer.
The Reds are now thought to be at the front of the queue of clubs hopeful of landing the England international, who previously spent some time on Merseyside when he was playing at Under-11 level. He had a two-day trial at the club's Kirkby academy and was impressed, enjoying a tour of the facilities, but no transfer materialised.
Klopp has explained of the midfielder: “Bellingham is just exceptional. He plays so mature, like a 28-year-old. Everybody already knew his skills, but I have no idea what that means for the money side of it.
“He’s very good, exceptional. He had an incredible World Cup”.
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Liverpool are intensifying their interest in Bellingham ahead of a summer race but they will face challenges from Man Utd, Man City and Chelsea, alongside Real Madrid. The Spanish giants beat the Reds to signing midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni last summer and the Merseyside club will be hopeful of avoiding a repeat.
Tchouameni’s signing complimented the arrival of Eduardo Camavinga at Real Madrid in 2021, and alongside the continued rise of Fede Valverde, their midfield options to succeed Toni Kroos and Luka Modric are already well stocked. Liverpool are hopeful of adding to their squad to find long-term successors to the likes of James Milner and Jordan Henderson.
When Bellingham was quizzed on his future prior to Dortmund's Champions League clash with Manchester City earlier this season, the teenager explained: "The club have done loads for me and made me feel very welcome since I first came and gave me the opportunities to develop even further. To look past that and into the future would be disrespectful. It's not something I am thinking about, to be honest."
