Liverpool discover fee needed to sign Jude Bellingham in January

Liverpool have been told that a bid of £132million for Jude Bellingham could test the resolve of Borussia Dortmund this month. The midfielder is viewed as a summer target, though those plans could be accelerated.

The Reds are in desperate need of investment in the centre of the park, with key players reaching their veteran years and others set to depart at the end of the season. Liverpool’s 3-1 loss to Brentford on Monday night only underlined the lack of quality that Jurgen Klopp is working with in midfield, and how desperate he should be for signings.

Bellingham is a top target at Anfield, though the England international is admired by numerous other European giants. Manchester City, Real Madrid and Chelsea are all cited as interested in the 19-year-old, with a competitive bidding war anticipated in January.

However, Liverpool could attempt to avoid potentially losing out on the former Birmingham City star by bringing him to Merseyside this month to attempt to steady the ship. According to Jan Aage Fjortoft, a bid of £132m could prompt Dortmund to reconsider their stance of only selling Dortmund in the summer.

If not, Liverpool will need to bid £105m at the end of the season, assuming that they are quick to strike a deal with the Signal Iduna Park outfit. The Reds are long-term admirers of Bellingham and Klopp has not shied away from praising the teenager, though Jamie Carragher is not sure whether he is exactly the type of player that his former side are crying out for.

He told Sky Sports: “People keep talking about Bellingham and rightly so – he’s going to be one of the best players in world football. If Liverpool don’t get top four then that is going to be a problem but for me, which is maybe as important as a Bellingham type if you can get him, would be a Wijnaldum type.