Liverpool are growing increasingly confident of beating Manchester City to the signing of Jude Bellingham, although it won't happen until next summer.
Jurgen Klopp's side are determined to close the narrow gap they have on rivals City, after missing out on the Premier League title by one point last season.
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The Liverpool boss has added real quality in the shape of Darwin Nunez this summer, offset by losing Sadio Mane to Bayern Munich, but aside from the addition of Calvin Ramsay, and the surprise return of Jay Spearing, that'll be that for this window.
Klopp's new number one target is now Borussia Dortmund midfielder Bellingham but, with the Bundesliga side generally only selling one star a year, that move won't happen any time soon.
Dortmund have already sold Erling Haaland to City this summer but it's another signing that could ultimately stop the champions from signing Bellingham.
According to the Sun, Liverpool are increasingly confident of beating their rivals to the 18-year-old's signature thanks to Pep Guardiola's expected signing of Kalvin Phillips.
The Leeds United defensive midfielder is close to a move across the Pennines for around £45 million, having previously been linked with Manchester United.
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Phillips is thought to be perfect to fit into Guardiola's midfield, although he will have some serious competition to get into the starting XI on a regular basis.
With so much depth already in the centre of the pitch, and the addition of the England international, it makes a move from City for Bellingham less likely.
The teenager's quality is such that they'd still no doubt be interested but Liverpool's greater need to refresh their midfield in a year's time would make them a more desirable destination.
Thiago Alcantara and Jordan Henderson, who both started the Champions League final loss, are both in their 30s, whilst midfield partner Fabinho is 28-years-old.
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Having already improved his defence a lot and now updated his strike force, with the additions of Nunez and Luis Diaz in recent months, the middle of the park is Klopp's next priority.
Mane's departure, which has been blamed on a comment the manager made about the African Cup of Nations earlier this year, could be followed by that of Mohamed Salah in a year's time.
The Egyptian forward's contract will expire next summer and he's so far not signed a new deal, he could in theory still leave this summer, with the club reportedly willing to let him got for £60 million.
Featured Image Credit: AlamyTopics: Transfers, Liverpool, Jude Bellingham, Borussia Dortmund, Bundesliga, Premier League, Manchester City, Kalvin Phillips