Ex-Liverpool star requests two January signings including Fernandez

Jude Bellingham and Enzo Fernandez are expected to be at the centre of two of next year’s biggest transfer stories after emerging as two of the continent’s star midfielders of the next decade. Bellingham, 19, is set to leave Borussia Dortmund in the summer, with Liverpool favourites for his signature in what would be a deal worth over £100million.

Fernandez is a more recent arrival on the elite midfielder scene, rocketing into prominence after joining Benfica from River Plate earlier this year. The 21-year-old, bearing a £105m release clause, excelled in the Champions League group stage, and FIFA named him the Best Young Player at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

And on Thursday night, McLaughlin took to Twitter, seemingly to send part of his Christmas list to Santa, asking for the Reds to fend off competition and recruit two of Europe’s most exciting midfielders. He tweeted: “Enzo Fernandes and Jude Bellingham to Liverpool for Christmas, please.”

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With Liverpool’s owners FSG ready to sell the club in 2023, there are understandable questions over whether they will heavily invest in Klopp’s squad in the next two transfer windows. The Reds’ current situation makes it hard to believe they would sanction a nine-figure deal for Bellingham, never mind Fernandez too.

Bellingham’s years of impressing at the top level at Dortmund have made him the headline asset of 2023, with Manchester City, Manchester United and Real Madrid ready to fight Liverpool for his services. The chase for Fernandez could be more low-key, given he’s only in his first season in the continent.

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