Steven Gerrard says he will ‘fly to Dortmund’ to convince Jude Bellingham of Liverpool move
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Published 21/01/2023 at 13:41 GMT
Steven Gerrard has turned agent after vowing to fly to Germany to try and convince Jude Bellingham to join Liverpool from Borussia Dortmund. The England star is one of the most sought-after players in European football and Gerrard explained why he is just what Jurgen Klopp's struggling side are missing in midfield. Bellingham has a contract to 2025 with Dortmund and is wanted by several clubs.
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Former Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard says he’s willing to fly to Germany to try and convince Borussia Dortmund midfielder Jude Bellingham to join the Anfield club.
The England star has been linked with a summer move to Liverpool, but they aren’t the only interested party – Real Madrid, Manchester City and Manchester United are among his suitors.
Speaking before Liverpool’s Premier League clash with Chelsea on Saturday, Reds legend Gerrard offered to do some convincing on the club’s behalf.
"All he needs to do is send his diary to me, when he's got a free day,” Gerrard said on BT Sport.
"I'll fly to Dortmund personally, take him out for a nice dinner and we'll talk about it.”
Liverpool have had a poor start to the season and sit in mid-table at the halfway stage, 19 points behind leaders Arsenal.
But Gerrard explained why he thinks the club remain an alluring prospect for a player like Bellingham.
He said: "I'm sure Jude is bright enough to see there's a stand going up here (at Anfield), this is going to be a 60,000-seat stadium, they've got one of the best five managers in the world, they've won the Premier League of late, they've been in Champions League finals of late, they pay very well here - that's a fact.
"They've got some fabulous players, they develop players. So it ticks an awful lot of boxes, but Liverpool at the moment are obviously in the middle of the league."
The Liverpool midfield has been a particular area of concern for Gerrard this season.
“They’ve had some injuries in that department, I think that if Liverpool’s midfield is all fully fit you’ve got (Jordan) Henderson, Fabinho, and the class of Thiago, in top form it’s a very good midfield.
“They’re all experienced, they’ve all had fantastic careers, but I think the thing is if one or two of them is missing then you’re relying on young players, you’re relying on players that haven’t really hit the ground running here at Liverpool like (Naby) Keita for example.
“It has become a little bit stale in the engine room so that’s why there’s been a lot of talk about midfielders and signings, and will Jurgen (Klopp) go into the transfer market.”
Bellingham was one of England’s star players as they reached the World Cup quarter-finals in Qatar last month, and he’s impressed during his spell with Dortmund.
The 19-year-old has scored 19 goals and produced 21 assists for the Bundesliga side since joining from Birmingham City in July 2020.
And speaking of potential midfield reinforcements for Liverpool, Gerrard was in no doubt about the chief candidate.
“Right now, I think the obvious one is Bellingham off the back of the World Cup and what he’s doing out in Dortmund anyway,” Gerrard said.
“I’m a huge fan of him, I think the way he comes across, the way he speaks about the game, his performances that I’ve seen every time he impresses me.”
He continued: “He’s the obvious one at the moment, because Henderson is adapting his game when he covers Trent [Alexander-Arnold] a little bit on that right-hand side, Thiago is more of a footballer whilst Fabinho stays.
“Liverpool lack this running No. 8 who can arrive in the box, can get you a goal, who’s got that power, who’s got that burst, who can step aside and really leave someone for dead. Bellingham ticks all them boxes so he’s the obvious one.”
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