Sport Bild Report: Liverpool near personal terms with Bellingham, Dortmund want €150 million
Germany's main sporting tabloid cites its own sources to claim that Jude Bellingham and his familial/managerial entourage have effectively selected Liverpool as the 19-year-old phenom's next destination.
An article appearing in Germany's main sporting tabloid on Wednesday claims that Jude Bellingham's family and agent have informed some of the top clubs competing for the teenage sensation's services that "advanced talks" with FC Liverpool are to be given priority for now. Germany's "Sport Bild" reports that Bellingham's parents and advisor have brushed off the likes of Man City and Real Madrid with news of an "agreement in principle" with the Merseyside Reds.
The German source goes on to cite productive discussions between the Bellingham camp and Jürgen Klopp's coaching regime. The 19-year-old is said to have received assurances that he will anchor the midfield as a guaranteed starter. The biggest potential obstacle to a deal, unsurprisingly enough, shall be the transfer fee. Bellingham's current German club wants €150 million for the budding superstar and is in no mood to budge.
Bellingham's current estimated market worth stands at €100 million in the latest transfermarkt listing. This is reportedly the figure American investor Mike Gordon, as a representative of the Fenway Sports Group pulling the EPL side's financial strings, is prepared to pay. Bellingham's departure from the Bundesliga, at the very latest after the season, is treated as a given in German footballing circles. The Birmingham native's unquantifiable skills are most definitely headed elsewhere.