"I just hope..." - Owen voices his concerns as Liverpool transfer agreed

Michael Owen hopes Liverpool's deal for Cody Gakpo won't affect the club's attempts to sign Jude Bellingham.

PSV Eindhoven announced on Monday night that they had reached an agreement with Liverpool to sell Gakpo for a club-record fee.

Liverpool hijacked Manchester United's approach for Gakpo and are now set to sign the Netherlands international on January 1, subject to him completing a medical.

Jurgen Klopp's side have reportedly paid an initial £37m fee for 23-year-old, which could potentially rise to £45m with add-ons.

Liverpool are expected to conduct further transfer business in the January window, with the club particularly keen to sign midfield reinforcements.

Owen worried about Liverpool plans

Borussia Dortmund midfielder Jude Bellingham remains Liverpool's number one target.

However, the England international is under contract with Dortmund until 2025 and is expected to remain with the Bundesliga club until the summer.

Ex-Liverpool striker Owen believes Gakpo is a quality signing but is worried that his arrival at Anfield might affect the club's attempts to sign Bellingham.

"Initial reaction is that Liverpool have been desperate for a midfielder for some time now, it's an ageing midfield, it's a good midfield, but ageing," Owen told the Premier League.

"A midfielder has been key for some time. I just hope it doesn't mean that Jude Bellingham isn't going to be somebody on their wishlist come the summer.

"But first thing is first, Gakpo had a fantastic World Cup. Twenty-three-year-old, it brings the age of the team down, it looks like a very good signing."

Bellingham, 19, has continued to attract interest from across Europe after an impressive World Cup campaign with England.

Manchester City, Manchester United and Chelsea as well as Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain have also been linked with the former Birmingham City midfielder.

Does Bellingham have a release clause?

Reports emerged on Monday which claimed that a £60m release clause may exist in Bellingham's contract at Dortmund.

If accurate, it would be a bargain price to pay for one of European football's most highly-rated young talents, who was recently ranked by CIES as the most valuable player at the World Cup with an estimated transfer value of €202m (£179m).

However, other reports claim that no release clause exists in Bellingham's contract at that clubs will be expected to pay a significant fee to sign the England star in the summer.

Earlier this month, Sky Sports Germany reporter Florian Plettenberg said: "Borussia Dortmund are very happy with Jude Bellingham's World Cup performance so far because he's becoming even more valuable from the financial point of view.

"Bellingham is under contract until 2025 and he has no release clause unlike Erling Haaland did.

"They're already planning for his summer exit in 2023, Dortmund would be fine with him leaving because they are confident in getting a transfer fee between €100m- €150m (£86.24m-£129.37m)."

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