Former £130m Liverpool target may require surgery as fans believe they dodged a bullet

Some Liverpool fans believe they’ve dodged a bullet with not signing Jude Bellingham this summer, as it has been revealed he may need surgery on his knee.

The 19-year-old has been a revelation for club and country this season, winning the Bundesliga Player of the Year and he had been linked with a move to Anfield for well over a year before reportedly accepting a deal to join Real Madrid.

As it stands, he is still a Dortmund player, but reports state that a guaranteed fee of £87m alongside £21m in potential performance-related add-ons has been set - and the deal is set to be completed in due time.

According to the Mail, Bellingham is scheduled to miss England’s upcoming Euro 2024 qualifiers amid growing fears that he may need to have knee surgery to help cure an issue that has plagued him for months.

He had been seen sporting heavy blue strapping on his left knee over the course of the last few months of the season and he was also left out of their final-day heartbreak in the Bundesliga due to the issue - as Dortmund missed out on edging Bayern Munich to the title by failing to beat Mainz at home.

Fans have been discussing the latest news and have pointed towards a graphic that shows Bellingham topping a list of world famous players for the most senior minutes played before their 20th birthday.

Essentially, he’s played an incredible amount of football at a young age. This often leads to player burnout and injury issues in the short, medium and long-term and it has ruined a lot of incredibly exciting young world-beaters such as Michael Owen and Ronaldo Nazario, for example.

Whilst he is still very young, there will be an immediacy around his arrival to get him in the team and playing as early as possible next season, especially after spending nearly £100m to acquire his services.

But, given this injury update, even if he requires surgery now or later, paying a fee close to £100m for a young star with developing injury issues is a huge risk.

However, there’s no telling how it will affect Bellingham in the future, as players like Kylian Mbappe and Bukayo Saka sit high up on this list and both of those haven’t experienced any serious injury issues to date.

If surgery is required at such a young age, it’s something that could constitute a long-term problem for Bellingham - which would be a big issue for the player to contend with, as well as any potential suitors which may offer Liverpool fans a small consolation.