Jude Bellingham exclusive: Liverpool have stunning ‘advantage’ over Real Madrid after transfer misjudgement

Ben Jacobs 18 Mar 2023 12:59 PM

Liverpool believe they can present an appealing project to Jude Bellingham regardless of where they finish in the Premier League this season, TEAMtalk has been told – while they may have an advantage over Real Madrid in the race to sign him.

Bellingham will be one of the most in-demand players in the summer transfer window. His form for Borussia Dortmund and England has put him on the radar of several elite clubs across Europe.

A return to his native country could be under consideration, for instance. Liverpool have emerged as major admirers, given their own need to strengthen in midfield.

However, there is widespread competition for Bellingham, including from clubs who currently look more likely than Liverpool to have Champions League football on offer next season.

Nevertheless, Liverpool are not giving up hope of tempting Bellingham to Anfield. Previous reports have indicated they will still have a chance of signing him even without involvement in Europe’s top competition.

Now, respected journalist Ben Jacobs has told TEAMtalk that Bellingham remains a priority for Liverpool, who have confidence they can tempt him to Merseyside.

“Liverpool still see Jude Bellingham as a priority in that midfield and contrary to some reports, Bellingham hasn’t made up his mind,” Jacobs told us.

“But Liverpool have done a lot of legwork and have a large amount of confidence. And as a result, they haven’t given up and they don’t believe that missing out on Champions League football will necessarily impact things too much because what Liverpool do is give players a consistent narrative.”

Liverpool could ‘blow Real Madrid out of the water’

In terms of who else could compete for Bellingham, Jacobs is classing Real Madrid, Manchester City and Man Utd as more likely rivals than Chelsea. That said, the latter do have some interest too.

Reigning La Liga champions Real Madrid could be one of the most serious threats to Liverpool’s chances of landing Bellingham.

Yet Jacobs has revealed that Liverpool might have a financial advantage over the club that just knocked them out of the Champions League. After all, Real Madrid have based their pursuit of Bellingham on a misguided interpretation of his transfer value.

Of Liverpool’s pursuit, Jacobs continued: “By having that trust and by having that relationship they believe that they can sell based on the project and the ambition of the club and the manager rather than solely on what they do or don’t have come the end of the season, so Bellingham will be a big priority for Liverpool.

“They’ll be up against Real Madrid and also Manchester City and some believe that Manchester United, especially under new owners, might come into the equation as well. Chelsea are there; they are minor players, they’re certainly not serious contenders at this point.

“And the advantage Liverpool have as a Premier League club is they might be able to blow Real Madrid out of the water in terms of the price that they’re prepared to pay, whereas with Real they will always be entering into the Bellingham equation, hoping that they would be able to get him for x or under 100 million which now seems pretty ambitious.”

Reports elsewhere have recently suggested Liverpool could turn to Chelsea’s Mateo Kovacic as a cheaper alternative to Bellingham.

In the second part of his exclusive, Jacobs has told TEAMtalk what to expect on that front.

Liverpool Jude Bellingham