Liverpool to pair Jude Bellingham and Mason Mount in midfield?

Liverpool want Bellingham in January and are keeping tabs on another future World Cup winner, who isn’t getting what he wants from Chelsea…

JANUARY BELLS
Liverpool have the ‘broad framework’ in place to sign Jude Bellingham in January, according to reports.

Bellingham is one of the hottest properties in world football with Real Madrid, Chelsea and Manchester City all said to be keen on the teenager.

But Liverpool have been ‘busy behind the scenes forging a relationship with Bellingham’s camp’, according to Football Insider, and ‘have made progress on the broad framework of what would be a club-record deal’.

His father Mark Bellingham is thought to be the key to the midfielder’s future and he ‘believes Liverpool would be a great fit’ for his son, though Champions League football is ‘critical in the final decision’.

Bellingham’s current deal expires in the summer of 2025 but Borussia Dortmund are thought to be willing to allow him to leave, ‘even in January’, but his valuation has gone beyond the £100m mark and could increase further should he thrive for England at the World Cup in Qatar.

But a move for Bellingham will likely depend on who owns Liverpool.

FSG have put the club up for sale and it’s claimed they will not fork out the massive fee required for the 19-year-old as long as they are still at the helm.

LIVERPOOL MOUNT-ING PRESSURE
The Reds could pair Bellingham with fellow England international Mason Mount, with no breakthrough in contract negotiations with Chelsea as things stand.

Mount’s current deal at Stamford Bridge expires in just over 18 months and although the Blues academy graduate wants to remain in west London, talks over an extension have hit something of an impasse.

Todd Boehly is loathe to lose Mount, whom he reportedly sees as a future Chelsea captain, and wants to reward his consistent performances with a new and improved deal.

But Mount is currently among the lowest earners at the club and wants a deal to reflect his importance to the team, which has so far not been forthcoming,

Manchester City have previously been linked and now The Guardian claim Mount is ‘attracting interest from Juventus and Liverpool, who need to freshen up their midfield options’.

‘HAKIM THE DEVIL’
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