"They’ll be moving for him" - Pundit makes Jude Bellingham claim

Former Leeds United player Noel Whelan has claimed that it won't weaken Liverpool if they wait to sign Jude Bellingham next summer.

With Reds boss Jurgen Klopp recently ruling out a move for Bellingham this summer, one pundit thinks that Liverpool will be able to cope without the England international.

“They’ve gone out and spent quite a lot of money this summer,” Whelan told Football Insider.

“(Fabio) Carvalho has come in, and they’ve spent a staggering amount on (Darwin) Nunez as well – which is their answer to the Erling Haaland deal.

“The question is – do they need any defensive midfielders? They’ve got (James) Milner, (Jordan) Henderson, Fabinho, as well as other players who can make an impact.

“Do they need to force a transfer through for the sake of it?

“We know who their number one target is. It’s Jude Bellingham – and they’ll be moving for him next year.

“Man City might have made their move a bit earlier by getting Kalvin Phillips in – but Liverpool may be waiting until next season in order to get their man.

“I don’t expect it to weaken Liverpool this season if they do wait around. I’m not expecting it to be a one-horse race. It’s still going to be an intriguing and exciting season in the Premier League.”

Anfield Watch Verdict

As Whelan pointed out, Liverpool possess a number of options in midfield. So, the Reds will be able to survive without Bellingham this season.

However, I do believe we should still try to sign the 19-year-old this transfer window, purely to get him in before anyone else tries to.

Real Madrid are the main club challenging the Reds for Bellingham's signature if rumours from Spain are to be believed.

They already beat Liverpool to the signing of Aurelien Tchouameni this summer. The Reds would not want to miss out on Bellingham. It is well known in the football world that he is a generational talent.

If signing Bellingham this summer means paying a little bit more, then so be it in my opinion.