Liverpool have been “hugely” encouraged by the cost of the Jude Bellingham move to Real Madrid and what it means for their own midfield summer overhaul, sources have told Football Insider.
The England superstar, 19, is on the verge of joining the Spanish giants from Borussia Dortmund in a deal worth £88.5million plus add-ons that could reach about another £26m.
Even the total cost of the deal is significantly below the £130m figure that was being widely suggested in the wake of Bellingham’s stellar showing at the World Cup last December.
That is a major boost to Liverpool, sources say, as the early signs are that the value of transfers has not exploded this summer in the same way as many had predicted, and that the effect of Chelsea’s massive spending in the last year has not artificially inflated the market.
Liverpool withdrew from the race because the cost, including a salary worth well in excess of £250,000-a-week, would have restricted the planned overhaul of Jurgen Klopp’s squad this summer.
