Glen Johnson says Liverpool need to achieve top four finish this season to have a serious chance of signing their long standing target Jude Bellingham.
The England midfielder Bellingham has been a star turn for both club and country over the past year and he is all but certain to spark off a transfer war between Europe’s biggest clubs later this year.
Liverpool have been considered as viable contenders for the 19-year-old’s signature but with Jurgen Klopp’s men enduring a nightmare of a season this term, there are fears that the Reds could miss out on securing Champions League football for the 2023-24 campaign.
Such a turn of events would make it difficult for Klopp to land his desired target in Bellingham who has other suitors in Real Madrid and Manchester City ready to swoop in for his services come the summer.
Speaking to Betfred, former Liverpool and Chelsea wing-back Johnson has admitted that failure to secure a Champions League spot will play spoilsport to Liverpool’s plans of signing Bellingham with Real keeping close tabs on the Dortmund starlet.
“If Liverpool want a serious chance of signing Jude, then they need to be in the top four. Let’s face it, anybody else that’s looking to sign Jude in the summer is going to be playing in the Champions League next season, and some of them will be trying to sign him off the back of winning their domestic league.
“Let’s say if Liverpool finish sixth, then how can Jude pick them over a club like Real Madrid? I think if Liverpool don’t finish in the top four, then they may eliminate themselves from the race to sign him.”
