Liverpool might just have been given a big boost in the race to sign Jude Bellingham, after Bayern Munich ruled themselves out of a move for the Borussia Dortmund and England star.
The Reds continue to be linked with the 19-year-old midfielder, who's also said to be of interest to Chelsea and Real Madrid.
But Bayern CEO Oliver Kahn has quashed any suggestion of Bellingham following the likes of Robert Lewandowski and Mario Gotze in joining Dortmund's arch-rivals.
Speaking to German newspaper Bild, Khan said: "Of course, Jude Bellingham, for me, is an outstanding player. However, with [Joshua] Kimmich, [Leon] Goretzka, [Marcel] Sabitzer and [Ryan] Gravenberch, we're very well-equipped in this position. So we're not thinking about that at all."
Bellingham could captain Dortmund against Bayern in Saturday's Der Klassiker. With Marco Reus and Mats Hummels both injured, he wore the armband as BVB lost 3-2 at Koln last time out, becoming the club's youngest-ever skipper.
Bellingham signed for Dortmund from boyhood club Birmingham City in July 2020 at the age of 17, in a deal potentially worth over £30m. The Black and Yellows are said to value him at £130m, although it's been reported that they could let him go for as little as £83m if paid up front.
Even a fee of £83m would make Bellingham Dortmund's second-biggest sale of all time, after Ousmane Dembele – who joined Barcelona for an initial £96.8m in 2017.
Given his career trajectory, it feels inevitable that Bellingham – whose contract at Dortmund runs until the end of the 2024/25 season – will be on the move next summer.
Like former teammates Jadon Sancho and Erling Haaland, he's established himself as one of the best young players in Europe at a club with a proven record for developing the continent's most prodigious talent.
And if he can inspire England to World Cup glory in Qatar this winter, his stock is only going to go even more stratospheric.
More Liverpool stories
While Bayern won't challenge Liverpool for Jude Bellingham's signature, they could have to fend off the Reds' advances themselves: Jamal Musiala has been linked with a switch to Anfield. Meanwhile, the Reds are said to have made Inter Milan and Croatia's Marcelo Brozovic a top target.
Liverpool have also been linked with a rising Ligue 1 forward dubbed 'the Ghanian Mane' in recent days, and could reportedly battle it out with Chelsea for the signature of one of MLS' most exciting talents.
Elsewhere, former Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez could be on his way back to the Premier League: the Spaniard has been touted to potentially replace Steve Cooper at Nottingham Forest(opens in new tab).
