Liverpool given one last hope to sign Jude Bellingham despite pulling out of the race

Liverpool could still end up signing Jude Bellingham from Borussia Dortmund, despite pulling out of the race just days ago.

Bellingham has been heavily linked with Jurgen Klopp's team for a number of months, and those links only grew stronger with the Reds' midfield clearly struggling to fire.

Then this week there were reports that they'd made a bid for the England star worth £84 million, in hope of getting in ahead of their rivals for his signature.

However, just hours later, it was reported that they'd pulled out of the race to sign him, due to not being able to afford the fee the Bundesliga side wanted.

The reveal that it won't be Liverpool inevitably led to two things, firstly a mad scramble to work out who will sign the 19-year-old, and then decide who Klopp may get instead.

Several names have been suggested to head to Anfield, with Inter Milan star Nicolo Barella reportedly heading the list to be brought to Merseyside.

However, Klopp may want to avoid spending too much money on a Bellingham alternative, as there's still a chance that he could sign the former Birmingham City player.

According to the Times, he is in no rush to leave Dortmund and, with no release clause in his contract, he is happy to stay there for another year and move to the 'right' club in 2024.

Bellingham could stay at Dortmund this summer. Image: Alamy

The problem for Liverpool remains the price though, with their initial bid based on the fact they'd been led to believe it would be enough, earlier in the season.

But Bellingham's continued development as one of the best midfielders in the world, coupled with his performances in the World Cup, have upped his price.

Real Madrid, Manchester City, Manchester United and PSG are all in the hat to try and sign him in the summer, with Dortmund hoping a bidding war will lead to a £130 million transfer fee.

His lack of release clause puts them in a much stronger position than they were this time last year, when City only needed to pay Erling Haaland's £51.2 million clause to sign him.

Should Bellingham decide to stay, it would give Liverpool another year to get back into the Champions League, something that currently looks beyond them for this season.

Even if they don't manage to sign him, and he goes elsewhere this summer, Klopp won't be quitting the Anfield club any time soon, certainly not over their failure to get his top target, after he revealed his anger at the mere suggestion.