"At Liverpool he’d be a legend forever" - Danny Murphy urges the Anfield club not to give up in their pursuit of long-term target

Liverpool legend Danny Murphy firmly believes long-term Reds target Jude Bellingham will move to Anfield. The Englishman heaped praise on the Borussia Dortmund star for his exploits in the Bundesliga this season.

Bellingham has been heavily linked with the Merseyside outfit for quite some time. However, he has also attracted interest from various other outfits, including Spanish giants Real Madrid.

Los Blancos have succeeded in snapping up Liverpool targets before. Former AS Monaco midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni, one of the hottest prospects in the market last summer, chose to move to Real Madrid despite strong interest from the Reds.

However, unlike the Frenchman, Bellingham would prefer a move back to his home country, according to Murphy. The Englishman wrote in his column for the Daily Mail:

"If [Declan] Rice has more than one Premier League suitor, Bellingham could have his pick of any club in Europe. What he’s achieved going to Borussia Dortmund at just 19 is outstanding. I’m sure Real Madrid would love him but I have a hunch he may prefer to return to England and be closer to the family."

Murphy then highlighted how the Reds boss Jurgen Klopp persuaded Virgil van Dijk to join the club by telling him that he would be remembered for years to come at Anfield. This is a strategy that the Merseyside outfit could reuse in their pursuit of Bellingham, according to Murphy, who added:

"Jurgen Klopp told Virgil van Dijk he’d win titles at Manchester City but still be forgotten 10 years later whereas at Liverpool he’d be a legend forever. I wouldn’t be surprised if the same kind of sell may be used on Bellingham. Unlike Rice, he has experienced Champions League football so it might not be such a crushing blow if Liverpool don’t make it for one year."

It remains to be seen whether the Reds manage to secure the England international's services.

---

"Jude definitely fits that bill" - Emile Heskey says Liverpool target could 'take the club back to the top

Former Reds star Emile Heskey believes Bellingham could return the club to the dominance and stature they have possessed in recent years.

The Merseyside outfit have been in underwhelming form this season. Klopp's side, who were on the cusp of winning a historic quadruple last season, now find themselves sixth in the league table.

Heskey believes Bellingham's potential transfer to Liverpool could have a similar impact to that of Cristiano Ronaldo's move to Real Madrid. The retired English striker told 90min:

"Jude definitely fits that bill. Jude would fit the bill for a lot of clubs. You hope that Liverpool can be the ones at the top of that list because you look at what he could achieve there."

He added:

"When you think of what Cristiano Ronaldo did by going to Real Madrid in his prime, and people thought 'why's he going to Real Madrid?' but he saw an opportunity to be the man to take the club back to the top - it could be the same situation for Jude."