DOHA, QATAR - Sunday, December 4, 2022: England's Jude Bellingham celebrates after the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Round of 16 match between England and Senegal at the Al Bayt Stadium. England won 3-0. (Pic by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)

German journalist’s new Jude Bellingham to Liverpool claim despite PSG interest

Journalists in Germany have corroborated information on Liverpool’s pursuit of Jude Bellingham, with the player’s family said to “prefer” the Anfield club.

It is often the case that two of Germany’s leading journalists provide very different updates on transfers.

That was shown recently when BILD‘s Christian Falk denied an exclusive from Sky Germany’s Florian Plettenberg that Sven Mislintat was among the candidates for Liverpool’s new sporting director.

But when it comes to Bellingham’s next move, there is a general consensus that the Reds are now leading the race for the Dortmund midfielder.

On Monday, Plettenberg gave a detailed report for Sky Germany in which he described the 19-year-old as Liverpool’s “No. 1 transfer target,” with Jurgen Klopp “pushing, pushing, pushing” for the transfer.

He added that Dortmund are “already planning” for Bellingham’s exit in the summer, and are “very happy” with his performances at the World Cup as they seek a deal worth at least €100 million.

This was followed on Wednesday morning by an update from BILD journalist Falk, who claimed Liverpool are “favourites” to sign the teenager.

“Talks are more advanced than with Real Madrid,” he wrote on Twitter, adding that “the family of Bellingham prefers the transfer to Liverpool.”

Typically, while a player may consider the views of his family when it comes to choosing a new club, it would not be the deciding factor.

However, Bellingham is said to particularly value the input of his parents, with father Mark closely involved with discussions over any transfer, as was the case when he swapped Birmingham for Dortmund in 2020.

2GG25RR City Of Dortmund, Deutschland. 27th Aug, 2021. firo: 27.08.2021, soccer ball, 1st Bundesliga, season 2021/2022, BVB, Borussia Dortmund - TSG Hoffenheim 3: 2 Jude BELLINGHAM, jubilation to 2: 1 Credit: dpa/Alamy Live News

In August, German outlet SPORT1 claimed that Liverpool had been in regular contact with both Bellingham’s father and his agent, Mark Bennett.

This has since been reported by various publications including those on Merseyside, with the club’s recruitment staff putting in the off-field work required to finalise a high-profile signing.

The same can be said for the likes of Jordan Henderson and Trent Alexander-Arnold, who are building a close relationship with the midfielder while together with England.

However, they still face a challenge when it comes to competing with their rivals in terms of finances, with Paris Saint-Germain president Nasser Al-Khelaifi confirming the Ligue 1 had joined Liverpool, Man City and Real Madrid in their interest.

“Everybody wants him, I’m not going to hide it,” he told Sky Sports this week.

“He’s at his club, and [we have] respect, so if we want to talk to him we’ll talk to the club first.”

The Times‘ Paul Joyce reports that Dortmund are planning talks with Bellingham upon his return from the World Cup.