Liverpool laying foundations for £90m Jude Bellingham transfer as Reds move into pole position

Liverpool’s forensic approach to recruitment means they appear frontrunners to sign Jude Bellingham when the England midfielder returns to the Premier League.

Sources in Germany believe Liverpool have emerged as “the most realistic” destination for the midfielder when he moves from Borussia Dortmund, but indicate any move will have to wait until the summer transfer window of 2022 at the very earliest.

Bellingham is one of the most coveted players in European football and the underlying statistics behind his performances continue to impress recruitment specialists in the game.

It is little surprise he is also being monitored by Manchester United, Paris Saint Germain and Real Madrid, such is his status in European football.

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But Liverpool, whose razor-sharp recruitment team have long been tracking Bellingham, would be able to offer him a prominent role in a team built to his strengths. It’s believed a fee in excess of £90million is being talked about – which would not deter the Reds.

Birmingham City have a substantial sell-on clause which will also influence any fee paid.

There’s no prospect of Bellingham moving in January and with the player enjoying his football, he will not push for any move. A summer switch would depend on Borussia Dortmund having replacements for both him and Erling Haaland, who will move on at the end of the season.

Such is Dortmund’s own impressive model, they engage in detailed succession planning and have already looked at potential Bellingham’s replacements. But with the player content at the club, they know there’s no pressure to sell just yet.

Unlike last season’s emergency defensive signings, the Reds are unlikely to use the January transfer window – with their entire recruitment model centred around long-term planning: the £36million move for Ibrahima Konate was a good example of the kind of deals Liverpool prefer to do than the stop gap measures they took when they signed Ozan Kabak and Ben Davies.

Newcastle move for Dan Ashworth – but work to be done

Newcastle United’s move for Dan Ashworth is far from a done deal.

The club were granted permission by Brighton to speak to their technical director after executive recruitment firm Nolan Partners recommended the former FA sporting director for the role of overseeing Newcastle’s grand project.

Nolan Partners are a heavyweight consultancy who have worked with Ashworth before and also placed Paul Mitchell at Monaco, as well as several other high-profile roles.

Ashworth would be a real statement appointment for Newcastle, having revolutionised Brighton’s structure and improved everything from recruitment to academy pathways. He was also influential in bringing in Graham Potter, who has changed Brighton’s style and established the club as a fixture in the Premier League.

Newcastle want a “club builder” in the sporting director role and with huge plans afoot for both the academy and training ground, someone with experience is key.

But talks will centre around whether the Newcastle vision will fit with how Ashworth believes the job should be done. One source even described the talks as “interviewing each other” with a decision unlikely to come in time to impact the January transfer window.

The Magpies have hired Nick Hammond, formerly of Celtic and Reading, to act as a temporary consultant to help them bring in players in January. The club believe they have deals ready to go in the early part of the month and there are funds available to make an impact.

Man Utd want ‘at least’ one more coach after Ewan Sharp move

Manchester United announced Ewan Sharp in a hybrid role of analyst and coach, bringing the former Lokomotiv Moscow staffer into Ralf Rangnick’s backroom team.

Sharp has worked at New York Red Bulls and Toronto FC before joining Rangnick in Moscow and is renowned as a good communicator.

Rangnick wants to be able to improve the flow of information from his coaching team to the players, and many of his appointments so far have been about establishing those links.

As revealed by i, the Red Devils are still looking to add to Ralf Rangnick’s coaching staff and at least one more appointment is being worked on.

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