Liverpool legend now claims signing Jude Bellingham could hurt his old club

Steve Nicol has warned Liverpool that signing Jude Bellingham could harm, rather than benefit, his old club.

The Merseysiders have been heavily linked with the Borussia Dortmund sensation, valued at £129m (according to The Times (via the Daily Mail), and reportedly find themselves in a three-horse race with Real Madrid and Manchester City for his signature (according to Florian Plettenberg, via Empire of the Kop) in the summer transfer window.

“Bellingham, obviously, was incredible. But you wonder, the way he plays the game, does that suit Liverpool at their best?” the Reds legend told ESPN (via The Boot Room).

“Liverpool at their best under Klopp, I’ve said this a lot, have three guys in the middle of the park who just work and work. Albeit they’re talented players, their job is to get the ball to the front three.

“That’s not Bellingham’s game. Would that take away from Liverpool (if they signed him).”

The Reds enjoyed their best period of success under Jurgen Klopp with a midfield combination generally consisting of Gini Wijnaldum, Jordan Henderson and Fabinho.

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It’s worth pointing out that the addition of Thiago Alcantara represented a major shift away from the industry-heavy nature of the midfield three prior to his switch away from Bayern Munich.

Likewise, the potentially club record-breaking signing of Darwin Nunez for £64m (set to rise to £85m once all add-ons are activated), represented a significant shift for the front-three with the Reds taking on a No.9 comparatively more committed to driving toward goal and scoring chances than Liverpool’s link-up star Bobby Firmino.

Only time will tell whether it was one risk not worth taking for Klopp’s men – assuming they can beat out their rivals and complete a deal for Europe’s hottest talent.