Liverpool transfer news: Reports in Spain suggest Jude Bellingham turned down an offer from Liverpool, while the Reds could already have a second signing lined up.
The club will need a busy summer in the transfer market to rectify the errors made over the last 12 months, and it already looks to be underway with its plans.
Jörg Schmadtke has now been confirmed as the new sporting director, and the German’s priority will be to sign new midfielders in order to improve an area that has been lacking this season.
Some of that work though looks to already be well underway, with the most recent reports suggesting not only is one signing set to be on the way, but a second may also be in the pipeline. There’s also more on Jude Bellingham’s reasons for not joining Liverpool as a move to Real Madrid looks to be in the works.
Nicolò Barella (Inter Milan)
Liverpool is reportedly already eyeing up their second signing of the summer, although it could come at a hefty price.
According to FourFourTwo, Alexis Mac Allister looks to be on the verge of making the move to Anfield, with Roberto De Zerbi confirming the Argentine had played his “last game” for Brighton at the weekend.
And Calciomercatoweb has suggested Liverpool has a second signing in mind in Nicolò Barella. The Inter Milan star won’t come cheaply though, with a fee of $107m (£86m/€100m) being touted for the midfielder’s services.
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Liverpool.com says: It’s going to be a tough balancing act for the Reds this summer as they try to make the necessary additions to Jürgen Klopp’s squad without blowing too much of the budget on any single player.
Barella would undoubtedly be a welcome addition to the midfield, but if his price tag is to be that expensive — or potentially even higher — Liverpool may be forced to look elsewhere, especially since they could do with defensive signings as well.
Jude Bellingham (Borussia Dortmund)
Liverpool has of course pulled out of the race to sign Jude Bellingham this summer, with Real Madrid now looking to be the Borussia Dortmund star’s next destination.
The Reds’ failure to land the England international though wasn’t for a lack of trying though, with reports in Spain suggesting Bellingham turned down a big-money move to Anfield.
According to AS (print edition via Paisley Gates), Liverpool, Manchester United and Bayern Munich all offered the 19-year-old more money than Real Madrid, but Bellingham turned them all down.
Liverpool though was always going to find it difficult to lure him to Anfield while Real Madrid was also in the race. If the reports from Spain are to be believed, then Bellingham’s decision may have been made a long time ago.