Borussia Dortmund has put a massive £101 million price tag on their star midfielder, Jude Bellingham as reported by Talksport.com. The same report also mentions that Dortmund’s Players Licence Department director, Sebastian Kehl confirmed Liverpool’s interest in Bellingham. Bellingham’s agent Philip Degen confirmed Liverpool tried to sign the 18-year-old back in his Birmingham days but lost out to Dortmund.
If the deal goes through he would be Liverpool’s most expensive transfer but how will he fit into the team?
Klopp plays a 4-3-3 formation with emphasis on attacking fullbacks and high-pressure football. Bellingham will find himself playing behind the front three and in front of Fabinho and Henderson or on the left of them. He performs best when he has a defensive midfielder who can give him the freedom to go forward. His job would be to supply the attackers but also provide some protection when Liverpool presses.
He is capable with both feet. He has an eye for a pass, add that to his ability to be able to ping in the perfect cross from either flank and you have the perfect Klopp player. Someone who can unlock those teams that sit back which has shown to be Liverpool’s weakness in the past. He has a knack for long-range goals as well which was such an asset when Coutinho was there for those tight defences like Burnley.
At Dortmund, he operated on the left side of the midfield. He supports the attack or cuts in and shoots. Liverpool’s front three can get the job on most occasions but when they can’t Bellingham is the perfect player to make the breakthrough with his dribbling as demonstrated by his goal against Armenia when he dribbled past three players and chipped the keeper.
Even though he is impressive on the left he has stated that he prefers to play box to box and through the middle. One of his lesser-known strengths is his ability to recover and hold on to possession. Which is a huge plus in a Klopp team and fits his philosophy of football.
Being a box to box player requires a lot of stamina, something Bellingham has in abundance. He has a good injury record being fit for most of the time. With him already having admirers from the Liverpool team with captain Henderson saying he “has a good head on his shoulder” it won’t be a hard adjustment into the team.
At 18 years old and already so impressive, being an England international the £100 million price tag might look too much but with a player that has so much to offer and fitting Liverpool’s style of football, it might be a good gamble to take. With January so close any deal will be completed only after the season ends.
