Here is your Liverpool morning digest for Friday, January 6.
Jude Bellingham transfer value emerges as Liverpool January bargain move 'confirmed'
Liverpool will be signing the most valuable player in European football if they capture Jude Bellingham - and have snapped up a bargain in Cody Gakpo.
Boffins at the CIES Football Observatory have once again applied science to the beautiful game in their biannual list of which players in Europe's top five leagues have the estimated highest transfer value.
Among the factors considered in determining the most expensive players are age, length of contract, experience and their contribution on the pitch in recent seasons.
READ MORE: FSG set to announce historic £275m deal that Liverpool fans will also want to see
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And Borussia Dortmund and England midfielder Bellingham, who Liverpool remain keen on signing, is valued the highest at a whopping £183.7million, narrowly ahead of Manchester City's Phil Foden and Kylian Mbappe of Paris Saint-Germain.
Luis Diaz, currently sidelined with a serious knee injury, is ranked the highest Reds player in the top 100 in 12th place at £96.8m.
READ THE FULL STORY HERE.
Liverpool may have already lined up Jude Bellingham's perfect midfield partner
As much as there is a huge focus on Liverpool’s pursuit of Jude Bellingham, there is no guarantee that the club will be able to complete the deal. Competition will be fierce, and the money involved will be substantial.
Having missed out on Aurelien Tchouameni last summer, the Reds were satisfied to take on 2022/23 with their existing midfield options. It’s safe to say that looks a poor decision now. If they do miss out on Bellingham, Liverpool can’t afford to wait another year for whoever then becomes their top target.
According to Fabrizio Romano they may have their eyes on another Bundesliga midfielder, Kouadio ‘Manu’ Kone. “FC Bayern, Newcastle, PSG and also Liverpool (Bellingham remains their n1 priority) are well informed on Kone’s situation,” he tweeted. Yet while the natural assumption is that he might be an alternate to Bellingham, there’s reason to believe the 21-year-old could be an option in case another reported target doesn’t join the club.
As chance would have it, Kone and Bellingham came face to face in the last round of Bundesliga matches prior to the World Cup. While the latter got an assist, the former scored the final goal in a 4-2 win for Borussia Monchengladbach. It was a fine strike, but Kone’s record of three goals in 55 top flight appearances shows he doesn’t offer this threat on a regular basis.
READ THE FULL STORY HERE.
READ NEXT:
Roberto Firmino 'preference' as Liverpool transfer talks continue
- Key member of Jurgen Klopp's Liverpool backroom quietly moves to Manchester United
- Failed Liverpool loan signing forced to restrain own players amid VAR chaos
- Pep Lijnders, Liverpool problems and the truth about assistant manager criticism
- Cody Gakpo to start as Jurgen Klopp changes captain and unveils new-look Liverpool midfield
