Delight for Jurgen Klopp as Liverpool transfer target compared to one of world’s best ever players in stunning praise

Jurgen Klopp will be incredibly happy to hear that potential Liverpool summer signing Jude Bellingham has similarities with one of the world’s best ever midfielders, according to an observer.

Bellingham is expected to leave Borussia Dortmund at the end of the season. Clubs are queuing up to sign him, mainly Liverpool, Real Madrid and Chelsea.

It was unclear whether Chelsea would actually press ahead and begin negotiations with Dortmund for the Englishman after spending a huge £107million on Enzo Fernandez in January.

But according to The Telegraph, Blues chairman Todd Boehly is happy to spend more money when landing Bellingham. He will hold talks with both Bellingham’s agent and Dortmund to try and get Chelsea in the conversation for the colossal transfer.

This means Liverpool will have to fend off both Real and Chelsea for Bellingham. However, they do appear to have a big advantage as things stand.

The 19-year-old would prefer to join Klopp’s side over Real and Chelsea. Real already have a host of incredible midfield options. So maybe Bellingham is worried about being the main man if he goes there.

There have also been suggestions Bellingham is not impressed by Boehly’s scatter-gun approach to transfers at Chelsea. He would rather go to a club where there is a defined long-term project.

Due to these factors, Liverpool is his ideal next club. The Reds can offer him the chance to become their most important midfielder and then build the team around him.

Jude Bellingham plays like Ballon d’Or winner

And Klopp will be delighted to hear that he is getting a player who possesses a Zinedine Zidane-like style in Bellingham.

Sporting consultant Andres Manzano, who worked with Birmingham City while Bellingham was coming through the ranks there, has described the player as such.

“That day (I first saw him) he played as a central midfielder in a double pivot system,” Manzano told AS (via Sport Witness).

“Maybe a physical English player like [Steven] Gerrard or [Frank] Lampard. But then I saw him many more times. Sometimes we put him on the wing to go inside and he reminded me a lot of Zidane.

“As strong as the comparison sounds, that’s how it was. He’s a tall player, with a lot of technical ability, with a lot of playmaking and organisation, a goal scorer and a good assistant. Now that he has grown up and is more mature, I reaffirm that he is very similar to Zidane.

“If you watch him play, the coordination he has with that height and his ability to combine and dominate the ball, I can’t think of a more appropriate example.”

This is huge praise from Manzano. Zidane is one of the best players to have ever stepped foot on a pitch. He won the Ballon d’Or, World Cup and Champions League during a glittering career.

But Bellingham certainly has the potential to win a Ballon d’Or of his own. He is already an influential player for both Dortmund and England, despite not even turning 20 yet.

And if he drags Liverpool back to the summit of English and European football, then he will be fully deserving of all the accolades he receives.

Meanwhile, Jose Mourinho could ruin Liverpool and Man Utd’s plans by getting to a centre-back target first.