Plenty of Liverpool fans had pinned their hopes on Jude Bellingham becoming their midfield general for years to come after a season of woes at the Merseyside outfit.
On Tuesday, Sportsmail revealed that Bellingham is now not a viable option and that the club won’t be pursuing a summer deal to bring the England star to Anfield.
Reds boss Jurgen Klopp stressed that summer transfers would focus on recruiting a collection of new talents rather than splashing out over £100million that Borussia Dortmund are expected to command for their midfield star.
It was only last year that sections of Liverpool supporters were dreaming of becoming the first-ever English club to secure a historic quadruple. They ended the season with the FA Cup, Carabao Cup, a Champions League final loss to Real Madrid and finished one point off Man City in the Premier League title race.
This season there is no prospect of silverware and Liverpool face a huge summer re-build. So who should Klopp and Co look to capture to fill the boots of the generational talent that now looks destined for Real Madrid? Sportsmail previews Liverpool’s eight alternatives to Bellingham.
Jude Bellingham was heavily linked with Liverpool but is now not being pursued by the club
Jurgen Klopp will instead focus Liverpool’s transfer policy on bringing in multiple players
Moises Caicedo
The Brighton midfielder has only been at the club for little over a year having moved to the south coast in January 2022 but has been on the radar of the Premier League big-boys for quite some time.
Arsenal attempted to bring the Ecuadorian to the Emirates in the winter transfer window and even submitted a £70m bid to land the midfield merchant but saw that offer rejected by Brighton.
Caicedo refused to train as negotiations took place but then decided to put pen-to-paper on a new deal at the AMEX. His new contract isn’t expected to be a problem for vying clubs but does give Brighton more control to demand a higher fee.
The 21-year-old thrives in turning defensive situations into attacking outlets, managing 5.6 successful passes into the final third and winning just under three offensive duels every match.
In defence he successfully completes nearly 10 ball recoveries per 90 minutes but there will be concern that the box-to-box midfielder wins just 25% of his defensive duels and averages only 3.46 interceptions every game.
Caicedo is an attractive alternative for Liverpool to explore in the absence of Bellingham, but the concern is that his age and remaining contract length means Brighton will likely quote a transfer fee close to what Dortmund want for their England international.
Likelihood of joining: 5/10
Brighton’s Moises Caicedo could be the perfect midfield alternative to Bellingham
Alexis Mac Allister
Chelsea have already brought one member of Argentina’s World Cup winning midfield through their doors in Enzo Fernandez and Liverpool could look to follow suit by trying to lure another to Anfield.
Mac Allister is one of Brighton’s top talents being pursued by other clubs and Manchester United are rumoured to be interested in bringing him to Old Trafford, but he could be the perfect answer to Liverpool’s ageing midfield.
The 24-year-old is energetic, protects the ball well, and has an eye for goal, all qualities that has escaped Liverpool’s midfield this season.
His stock has risen since Argentina’s World Cup success lead by Lionel Messi in Qatar but his contract is set to expire in 2025 and he could be attracted by a bigger Premier League outfit.
World Cup winning midfielder Alexis Mac Allister could leave Brighton in the summer
Mac Allister has emerged as one of the Premier League’s best midfield talents and has been linked with a host of new clubs
Mac Allister thrives in counter-attacking scenarios that Klopp looks to try and identify in games and contributes with an expected 0.33xG every game and averages 1.29 progressive runs when in possession.
Liverpool have become one of Europe’s most successful high-pressing teams throughout Klopp’s reign and Mac Allister could improve this even further by currently winning 4.38 of his pressing duels for Brighton.
The only problem is that Liverpool may not be able to beat their opponents in a bidding war if one does break out for his signature this summer.
Likelihood of joining: 5/10
Mason Mount
Liverpool may be out of the running for one of England’s prized midfielders, but could still bring in another if they move quick to land Mason Mount.
The Chelsea playmaker has fallen out of favour at Stamford Bridge this season and has failed to make a Premier League start since February as previous manager Graham Potter favoured others in midfield and Mount rejected a £200,000-per-week contract at the club.
All signs point to a summer exit and Liverpool could be well-positioned to try and bring Mount in as a less-impressive option to Bellingham, but a player that is still a brilliant Premier League and Champions League proven midfielder.
A breakdown of this season’s stats may not convince the most ardent of Liverpool supporters who will be unimpressed to see Mount’s lowly 0.11 xG and average of 2.35 dribbles per game, but this is a player who consistently starts for England and was crucial to Chelsea’s Champions League triumph in 2021.
Bellingham (left) won’t be joining Liverpool but Mason Mount (right) could be a great signing for Liverpool
Mount recently rejected a new contract offer from Chelsea and looks set to leave Stamford Bridge
The one element of his game that Mount will need to improve on is becoming a more potent goalscoring midfielder.
He has scored just three goals in all competitions this season, Bellingham has 10.
Mount surprisingly thrives in winning just over three ball recoveries in an opponents half each time he steps on the pitch and this is a crucial quality that Klopp will perhaps be most impressed with that could see him instruct Liverpool’s owners to go all-out for the 24-year-old wantaway.
Likelihood of joining: 8/10
Joao Palhinha
A surprising option that the majority of Liverpool fans would likely fume isn’t fit to lace Bellingham’s boots, nevermind fill the hole in midfield that the Dortmund star was meant to fit.
But Palhinha’s expected price would hand Liverpool more cash to splash on other areas of the squad while still improving their midfield with an experienced player.
There is a clear area for improvement in Palhinha’s passing and chance-creating ability with him making an average of 30.42 passes each game, but failing to complete any smart or successful through passes, however this is one of Klopp’s specialist areas of development as we have seen with other talents.
Meanwhile, the 27-year-old excels in disrupting opposition play and has been identified as a combative midfielder that would help consistently win the ball back for Liverpool as his close to five interceptions, over 10 ball recoveries and 24.56% defensive duel winning capabilities demonstrate.
He won’t be Liverpool’s first-choice replacement for Bellingham but could work out to be an intelligent investment if Klopp can improve him as he has others.
Likelihood of joining: 6/10
Joao Palhinha (right) joined Fulham in the summer but has starred in the club’s rise this season
Matheus Nunes
Fresh from scoring a wonder-goal in Wolves’ recent 1-0 win over Chelsea, Matheus Nunes is being mentioned as a possible summer target for Liverpool.
The 24-year-old still hasn’t reached his potential and is an attack-minded midfielder that thrives in dribbling and passing between the defensive lines of opponents.
Liverpool have done smart dealings with Wolves in the past when they signed Diogo Jota in a £41m move from Molineux to Anfield in 2020 and could look to secure a similar price for Nunes.
Matheus Nunes needs to improve in attacking areas but could be a useful asset for Liverpool
The Wolves star is at his best when able to challenge on the offence as his 5.21 offensive duels win rate shows and close to two progressive runs each game is another example he can be trusted in not only protecting the ball but also getting Liverpool up the pitch quicker.
More end quality will be required if he is to become a consistent member of Liverpool’s team for the future with Nunes’ 0.11xG and 0.25 key passes each game mild concerns for any potential buyer.
Likelihood of joining: 7/10
Conor Gallagher
If you mentioned Gallagher’s name to Liverpool supporters as a replacement for Bellingham then you would probably be laughed away without a second chance to retort.
But the unfavourable Chelsea star who has only managed one assist and one goal in all competitions for the Blues this season does possess qualities that Klopp admires and, more importantly can enhance.
Chelsea are preparing for a summer clear-out to accommodate the over £600m they spent on new signings in the past year alone and Gallagher is one of those who could be told to find a new club.
Conor Gallagher has struggled to cement a place in Chelsea’s midfield this season but could be a useful signing for Liverpool
His stats don’t matchup to Bellingham’s world-beating exploits but Gallagher has demonstrated he can be a useful midfield asset in both attack and defence.
The 23-year-old was Gareth Southgate’s surprise pick for the Qatar World Cup and could be a shock Anfield addition in the summer transfer window.
He wins an average of 4.75 pressing duels per game and is capable of winning possession back for his team inside the opponents half, managing a medium 2.82 recoveries each appearance.
There is plenty of room for improving his goalscoring and chance-creating qualities with both of his expected goals and assists each game far too low at 0.14xA and 0.13xG, but the stats show there is talent there if Klopp can find a way to unlock it.
Likelihood of joining: 6/10
Gallagher was the surprise pick of Gareth Southgate’s England World Cup squad
Youri Tielemans
The Belgian’s contract at Leicester expires at the end of the season and he definitely won’t be renewing his terms at the King Power so as a free agent this makes a whole lot of sense.
If Liverpool are serious about having limited funds in the transfer market then Tielemans is an obvious example of the type of player that they should be targeting now that Bellingham isn’t a feasible option.
Tielemans has close to a 150 Premier League games under his belt and in the year he won the FA Cup with Leicester was recognised as one of the English top-flight’s best defensive midfielders.
He also possesses an eye for goal as the odd long-range stunner has shown in the past but it’s out of possession that Tielemans flourishes the most.
Leicester’s defensive midfielder Youri Tielemans (left) will be a free agent once his contract expires in the summer
The 25-year-old has endured a torrid season like most of Leicester’s relegation-threatened squad but many put this down to him itching for a move elsewhere rather than suddenly losing all his best qualities.
An in-depth look at his capabilities demonstrates he has the ball-winning skills that Liverpool’s midfield currently lacks as he averages 9.43 ball recoveries, wins over three pressing duels and additionally emerges victorious in close to 1.5 offensive duels per game.
The issue Liverpool face is that they won’t be the only club interested in signing the talented soon-to-be free agent.
Likelihood of joining: 7/10
Tielemans has been linked with numerous clubs around Europe as his contract ticks down
Ryan Gravenberch
The only non-Premier League player to make the cut but Ryan Gravenberch shouldn’t be disregarded by Liverpool supporters who haven’t seen much of the Dutchman.
Gravenberch joined Bayern Munich from Ajax last summer but has struggled for consistent gametime at the German giants and has rarely been favoured in Munich’s Champions League clashes.
Liverpool could look to intervene in his adjustment period at Munich and would be getting a player who at the age of just 20 has the best years of his career ahead of him.
His stats are a blow-by-blow account of the exact type of midfielder that Liverpool need to help make up for the ground they have lost this season and there is still plenty of room for improvement in his game.
Over eight ball recoveries and an average 4.18 ball interceptions per game show he excels in a similar ball-winning role to what Bellingham does at Dortmund, while Gravenberch’s 5.9 successful passes into the final third makes him a danger around the edge of opposition boxes.
He boasts similar qualities to Bellingham and at Liverpool could grow into a real world beater, but impressive negotiating skills will be needed to convince Bayern Munich to let him go.
Likelihood of joining: 3/10
Ryan Gravenberch is a rising top talent at Bayern Munich but could be tempted by more minutes at Liverpool
