Liverpool boosted by Bellingham ‘preference’ as £130m man snubs two Premier League rivals

Liverpool target Jude Bellingham is reportedly not interested in leaving Borussia Dortmund to join Chelsea or Newcastle United this summer.
Bellingham remains a key target for Liverpool heading into the summer transfer window.
The 19-year-old has been heavily linked with the Premier League over the past couple of years and it is likely that he will leave Dortmund this summer after establishing himself as one of the best young players in Europe.
Bellingham is under contract until 2025 and he will not be sold cheaply, with it suggested that he could cost as much as £130m later this year.
There is a chance that Liverpool will not be playing in Europe next season as they are currently around the mid-table places in the Premier League.
Christian Falk is reporting that Dortmund “hope” that Bellingham will remain at the club for another year if Liverpool are not in Europe next season.
He adds that Bellingham does not have a “massive amount of interest” in joining Chelsea and he is not “seriously considering” signing for Newcastle.
‘The Premier League remains the first target for Jude Bellingham. I’ve always said Liverpool would be his preferred target but, of course, everyone knows that they’re not doing too well at the moment,’ Falk wrote for Caught Offside.
‘It’s also a hope for Dortmund still that, if Liverpool aren’t playing in Europe, there’s the possibility of extending Bellingham’s stay by a year. Dortmund has a good chance of winning the Bundesliga, it’s very close. So there could be a chance that Bellingham waits for Liverpool.
‘He seems very clear in his plans. I heard that, before Enzo Fernández’s move to London, Bellingham was looking at what was going on at Chelsea. Chelsea were interested but Bellingham saw there wasn’t a clear plan at the club, so there wasn’t a massive amount of interest in going there.
‘Newcastle were interested, that’s for sure, but they’re not in the range of clubs Bellingham’s seriously considering joining in the summer, despite their good form this term. If he’s going to leave Dortmund, it will be for a top club, so he’s still keeping an eye on circumstances at Liverpool.’
Falk adds that Liverpool not qualifying for the Champions League would not “be a no-go” for Bellingham, as his “preference” still “lies within the Premier League”.
‘I think qualification for Champions League football isn’t the only interesting point for Jude Bellingham as far as Liverpool’s interest in the player is concerned – if they don’t qualify, it wouldn’t be a no-go for the player,’ Falk added.
‘Of course, the bigger question we’re always talking about is whether Liverpool have the money to buy him in the first place if they don’t secure top-four football at the end of the season.
‘Perhaps they’ll have a new owner who will provide the necessary finances to sign Bellingham, perhaps they’ll still qualify for the Champions League and can buy him.
‘I think it’s a good sign from Spain that they now understand Jude Bellingham’s preference for a move lies within the Premier League. It’s a good sign for Liverpool fans too that it’s not the case he doesn’t want to wait for the club – he’s not nervous about the decision.’
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