Liverpool back away from summer deal for Jude Bellingham
Liverpool will not try and push through a deal for Jude Bellingham this summer, sources have confirmed to 90min.
Bellingham has long been Liverpool’s top transfer target, but a deal to get him this summer appears beyond what they were willing to do given Borussia Dortmund's lofty asking price for the England midfielder.
90min confirmed earlier this year that Dortmund would be willing to sell, but the price of a deal would be €150m - beyond their current club-record sale of €144m which they received for Ousmane Dembele in 2017.
Liverpool, Real Madrid and Manchester City have all put what they consider to be compelling cases to Bellingham in the past few months.
Bellingham is due to speak to Dortmund in April to discuss his future which, as 90min revealed earlier this season, includes the option of staying with the club for another year.
READ MORE FROM THE 90MIN TALKING TRANSFERS TEAM
feed
Dortmund, who have Bellingham under contract until 2025, are willing to make him the highest paid player in their history and in return for that they would insert a release clause allowing him to leave for way below his market value - a similar situation which saw Erling Haaland stay before joining Manchester City last summer.
Bellingham is due to make his decision but as it stands, if he was to leave this summer it would be a straight choice between Real and City. Both sides are willing to sanction a deal which would be one of the largest deals in football history.
Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea have both contacted Bellingham’s representatives too, and while they would be able to match any offer, 90min understands that neither are being considered as realistic landing spots at this time.
Should Bellingham decide to stay at Dortmund for another year and sign a new deal with a release clause, 90min has been told that "all bets would be off" for 2024. The race would again likely include Liverpool and possibly Manchester United too, who have been in the background throughout this saga and have kept tabs on the situation.
LISTEN NOW
On this edition of Talking Transfers, part of the 90min podcast network, Scott Saunders, Graeme Bailey, Toby Cudworth & Tom Gott discuss Chelsea's decision to sack Graham Potter, Man City and Real Madrid's interest in Josko Gvardiol, the futures of William Saliba, Kai Havertz, Randal Kolo Muani & more!
If you can't see this embed, click here to listen to the podcast!