Liverpool could themselves in a difficult position come the end of the 2022/23 season.
It goes without saying the one area of the pitch supporters are currently concerned by is midfield, with worries relating to a mix of ageing individuals and a lack of creativity.
Two players who could help solve this issue, and continue to be linked with moves to Anfield, are Enzo Fernandez and Bellingham. At 21 and 19 years of age, Liverpool would be providing this part of the pitch two options with the ability to serve at the highest level for the best part of a decade.
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Latest reports have suggested the Reds may be involved in the race for both players. While Bellingham is a known, long-term target, the claims around Fernandez are much more speculative.
Fernandez apparently has a release clause worth £103million, but Bellingham cannot be bought out of his contract and must be negotiated for. Bringing the two youngsters to Anfield would likely result in an outlay of over £200millon, something supporters have not become accustomed to seeing in transfer windows of late - but could that be about to change?
If Liverpool were to lose Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, James Milner and Naby Keita, all of whom will become free agents next summer, Klopp will be left with a major rebuilding job on his hands. But also gaps in the squad and on the wage bill. The reality is that there is a strong possibility the above-mentioned trio will all depart at the end of the current campaign, further reinforcing the need for long-term solutions to this somewhat inevitable issue.
Sanctioning two high-profile midfield signings during the same transfer window would not be a first for the Reds during the Klopp era, too, having brought both Fabinho and Keita to the club in the summer of 2018 ahead of what would prove to be a whirlwind season for the first-team.
Attempting to recruit either Bellingham or Fernandez in January already appears a tall order, following recent comments made by Benfica president Rui Costa and Borussia Dortmund's ongoing reluctance to offload central figures during the middle of a season. Liverpool, therefore, will likely be forced to hold fire until the summer for a shot at a double deal of dreams.
But perhaps Kopites can dare to believe. Even though the Fernandez links are tentative, there was clearly interest in Aurelien Tchouameni back in summer - as confirmed by the player himself. That suggests the Reds were plotting for another first-team face to slot in alongside a potential deal for Bellingham. Maybe the money and the intention are both still there. It remains to be see how things play out from here and whether other major targets emerge.
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