Liverpool's hopes of bringing Jude Bellingham to Anfield could be damaged by the apparent lack of a release clause in his contract, according to Simon Jordan.
England teenager Bellingham has emerged as one of the most in-demand players in European football and is continuing to shine bright with the Three Lions at the World Cup in Qatar. The 19-year-old's club, Borussia Dortmund, are expected to ask for anything between £100-£150million to let go of their prize asset, as the continent's biggest names battle for his signature, but TalkSPORT pundit Jordan fears that if the asking price reaches the north end of the scale, the Reds will simply be priced out of it.
Speaking on the White and Jordan Show, he said: “Normally you would have expected a release clause. Because they’re now talking about this deal being done for between £100million-£150million, which is ridiculous money, but let’s say that’s the case.
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“I am amazed that the agent of Bellingham didn’t put a release clause in there because as we know, the less the transfer fee, the more the player is going to receive in benefits for his particular contract. So I’m amazed that they’re in this scale of things, but clearly they are. That might well exclude and preclude Liverpool from the equation.
“Because if you’re getting into £150m, there’s probably one club that he would go to that would be prepared to pay that, and that would be Manchester City.”
Another club to have shown an interest in Bellingham is French champions Paris Saint-Germain, who already boast global superstars like Lionel Messi, Neymar Jnr and Kylian MBappe on their books. This week, PSG chairman Nasser Al-Khelaifi revealed his admiration for the player and hinted that the Parisians would speak to Dortmund if they wanted to pursue their interest, but Jordan feels that Bellingham is destined to either return to England or head to Spain, keeping Liverpool in the picture at least.
Jordan added: “I don’t think he ends up at PSG with no disrespect intended to Nasser and his football club. I think he either ends up in Spain or in England. I would like to think it’s England because we’ve produced this talent – Birmingham City have produced this talent.
“And he’s gone out to Germany and chosen a path which I think is quite commendable. Because he could have gone to Chelsea and Manchester United and looked good on paper, but maybe have not got the game time that he’s gotten in Germany.
“I think there are more compelling leagues than the French league for him to play in. If he wants to go and play for the Harlem Globetrotters of PSG, I think that’s one thing. I think if he wants to go and play – again with the best respect intended – significant football week in, week out, I think the Premier League or La Liga are the two destinations I would advocate for him.”
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