Liverpool legend Robbie Fowler believes Jude Bellingham’s arrival at Anfield would have the same “impact” as Erling Haaland has made at Manchester City.

Bellingham is believed to be a target for the Reds ahead of next summer and Fowler feels that, if Jurgen Klopp’s side can beat the competition to secure the teenager’s signature, it would be a massive statement of intent:

“Every team needs to be refreshed now and then – and I think the arrival of Bellingham next summer would lift Liverpool in the same way that signing Van Dijk once did. Will it happen? I don’t think anyone knows with any certainty where Jude Bellingham will be playing his football next season. But one thing I am sure of is that any elite club with ambitions of keeping themselves at the very top of the game have to evolve.”

“Planning for the future is a big part of that process – but there also comes a time when they have to think about the here and now. Manchester City made that kind of statement by signing Haaland – and his impact on a team that has won four out of five titles has been stunning. I put Bellingham in the same category.”

As Fowler says himself, there is still a great level of uncertainty over where Bellingham will be playing his football next season. There is reportedly strong interest from the likes of City, Manchester United and Chelsea, while reports in Spain have suggested that Real Madrid could be in pole position to snap up the player.

The cost of signing the 19-year-old is also expected to play a big role in determining where he ends up. Borussia Dortmund are currently said to be holding out for around €150m, which is not a figure that Liverpool would be prepared to pay. If the asking price is reduced, it could still bring the Reds back into play but we shall have to wait and see how things develop in the coming months.