Edwards could break Liverpool’s transfer record to sign Bellingham 2.0

Liverpool might have fallen in the FA Cup against Manchester United on Sunday afternoon but Jurgen Klopp’s side remain confident of finding success in the Premier League and Europa League, with the Carabao Cup already bagged.

After years of brilliant football, Klopp will leave the club at the end of the campaign after winning a host of honours such as the Premier League and Champions League and reviving Anfield after it had fallen into disrepair in the years preceding the German’s appointment.

While a successor has yet to be clinched, Michael Edwards has returned as FSG’s new CEO of football, with Richard Hughes assuming the role of sporting director, and appears to be lining up a first-rate talent to confirm Liverpool’s desire to remain at the forefront of the European game.

Michael Edwards’ top transfer targets for Liverpool

Granted, it’s a little early to gauge who could be moving to Merseyside during the off-season, but that has not stopped the rumour mill from spinning into overdrive, with Sky Sports Germany’s Florian Plettenberg confirming that the Reds are among the contenders for Bayern Munich star Joshua Kimmich.

The 29-year-old is not the only Bayern Munich player on the radar, however, with more exciting news that Liverpool are hot in pursuit of Jamal Musiala, according to SPORT BILD’s Christian Falk.

Chelsea and Manchester City are also interested in a move, but Bayern are desperate to keep the attacking midfielder in Bavaria and have slapped a £100m asking price on his name, eclipsing Liverpool’s club record £85m fee paid for Darwin Nunez.

The Bundesliga champions, who trail Bayer Leverkusen by ten points this season, hope to agree fresh terms with the 21-year-old, who is out of contract in 2026, but with such enticing suitors lurking, Liverpool have the perfect chance to pounce.

Why Liverpool should sign Jamal Musiala

Musiala signed for Bayern from Chelsea back in 2019 as a 16-year-old after rejecting a long-term offer at Stamford Bridge, and it’s hard to argue that the German-born starlet made the wrong decision.

Still in the maiden phase of his professional career, Musiala has posted 43 goals and 30 assists across 156 senior appearances for Bayern Munich, with his prodigious performances leading to praise over his “exceptional” emergence from former Bayern CEO Oliver Kahn.

In the German top-flight this season, as per Sofascore, Musiala has scored ten goals and six assists across 21 fixtures (18 starts) while completing 82% of his passes, averaging 1.9 key passes, 1.7 tackles, 4.1 ball recoveries and 7.5 successful duels per game, also succeeding with 61% of his 3.8 dribbles per game.

Moreover, as per FBref, the 25-cap Germany international ranks among the top 9% of attacking midfielders and wingers across Europe’s top five leagues over the past year for goals scored, the top 12% for shot-creating actions, the top 4% for pass completion, the top 17% for progressive passes, the top 15% for progressive carries, the top 1% for successful take-ons and the top 11% for interceptions per 90.

It’s a rounded skill set, spherical almost, with Musiala fuelled with talents across the scope of the attacking midfield role, capable of making a real impact in Liverpool’s team.

There is the question of where he would slot in, but then Musiala is dynamic, interchangeable and fit for purpose out on the left or in a more conventional No. 10 role.

The £82k-per-week ace has Mohamed Salah’s creativity, Luis Diaz’s fleet-footedness, and Alexis Mac Allister’s vision. He has elite movement and spatial awareness and would work a treat in the shadow of centre-forward Nunez.

In fact, he’s got some striking similarities to Jude Bellingham, who Liverpool so fervently, so desperately fought to sign in 2023. This could be the chance to make amends.

How Jamal Musiala compares to Jude Bellingham

Liverpool contested against Real Madrid for the signing of Bellingham from Borussia Dortmund but it became quite clear in April 2023 that the Reds would be unable to push ahead with the move, with multiple additions needed to mend a malfunctioning engine room.

The staggering talent, still only 20 years old, arrived at Santiago Bernabeu as a £115m Galactico last June and has since obliterated expectations, scoring 20 goals and supplying nine assists across his opening 31 matches for the Spanish giants.

To underscore how remarkable the England international has been for Los Blancos, he currently ranks among the top 1% of attacking midfielders and wingers across Europe’s top five leagues over the past year for goals scored, the top 1% for pass completion, the top 2% for progressive passes and the top 7% for interceptions per 90.

He’s likened to Musiala by stats-led site FBref, but there are clear differences in the respective players’ styles, and Liverpool might actually find a player who could make more of an impact in the Bayern ace.

Take a look at the table above. What do you see? Bellingham is the better goalscorer, more potent in the box, deadlier in his striking.

But while his elite movements have shaped him into a generational talent – surely England’s best shot at seeing a Ballon d’Or winner from the current crop of players – Musiala thrives in his progression and his playmaking, to a greater degree, while maintaining an effective goal threat.

Both players are committed defenders and are placed in the upper echelon of their positional peers for defensive actions per 90, but Liverpool are a team built on energy and multi-functionality – Musiala might just pip Bellingham – who is still several cuts above the lion’s share of high-class midfielders – in this regard.

Bellingham is a world-class player but so too does Musiala have the trappings of a star unmatched by all but a select few in the Premier League.

Edwards really has to throw the kitchen sink at getting this one over the line to start the new era at Anfield with a bang.