While everyone could see that Jude Bellingham could be a special player when he was at Birmingham City, few expected him to be a near guaranteed starter for England by the 2022 World Cup and one of the leaders at Borussia Dortmund at 19.
This meteoric rise has led him to be linked with a move back to his home country, with teams such as Liverpool and Manchester United often named as potential landing spots.
Part of that will be because they are two of the few teams who could afford Bellingham, but also because they are sides who need a player like him in their squads.
Take Liverpool, for example, who brought in a very injury prone Arthur Melo on loan from Juventus as a panic transfer late on in the transfer window due to their lack of depth in midfield.
As for Manchester United, they spent half of the summer trying, and failing, to convince Frenkie de Jong to sign from Barcelona, before eventually settling for Real Madrid’s Casemiro in a very expensive transfer.
Neither have solved their issues to date, which is why a player like Bellingham would make sense, and Gianluca Di Marzio believes both the Reds and the Old Trafford side will be among those fighting for the 19-year-old’s services in the future.
He told Wettfreunde in Germany: “Liverpool would be the best option for Jude Bellingham. They need a refresh of the squad and new top players. Bellingham is absolutely perfect for Jürgen Klopp and the way Liverpool play.
“He definitely has the talent to be a star at LFC, and they will try to get him. Manchester United would also be a possibility, but I think those two clubs will be the ones trying to sign Jude Bellingham.”
While a move in January seems unlikely, next summer could be an important one for the England International, who could be put in a position to pick the next step in his career.
A lot could depend on which European competition each team plays in, as while Manchester United are in the Europa League this season, they currently sit above Liverpool in the Premier League, having beaten them 2-1 at Old Trafford.
Then again, so much can change between now and next summer, with Klopp’s side more than capable of turning things around, with their recent win against Manchester City a likely huge boost after what has been a very disappointing start to the campaign by their standards.
