Klopp calls for Bellingham to be protected after 'absolutely outstanding' World Cup campaign

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp hopes Jude Bellingham doesn't come under too much pressure after his 'absolutely outstanding' performance for England at the World Cup.

The Borussia Dortmund midfielder has been heavily linked with a move to a number of Europe's elite clubs, including Liverpool, after another impressive year.

Bellingham started all five of England's games at Qatar 2022, which ended in a quarter-final loss to France, scoring and assisting from central midfield.

He was reportedly valued at over €100m (£88.5m) by Dortmund before the World Cup, a valuation that has likely only increased since.

However, Klopp says no matter how much the 19-year-old costs, he shouldn't be weighed down by rising expectations in his home country.

"I don't always like to talk about money," Klopp told reporters. "When you talk about a player like Jude, I think everyone agrees that he's just outstanding for the age group.

"Imagine someone has no idea about football or anything or knows about football, but they haven't watched it for a while and they don't have no idea Jude Bellingham…

""How old do you think he is?" I don't think anyone would understand. Or even approach his age. It's like 28, 29, whatever, that kind of stuff, because he plays it with maturity.

“He played an exceptional, absolutely exceptional World Cup. And he is so good at so many things and needs to improve and other things.

"But to describe him, I would say that the things he can already do are hard to learn. The things he needs to improve are easy to learn and improve, which makes him a very good player.< /p>

"What can I say? I'm not saying anything new. I thought that already, for two or three years, since he made his breakthrough at Dortmund, everyone already knew that.

"But I have no idea what that means on the financial side. I really think that if we all want to do him a favor, then we don't talk about money too much.

"And I mean, from an English point of view, don't put obstacles in the way of its development. It would be really cool, wherever it ends up."

Bellingham (19 years, 145 days) is the third youngest player for England at a World Cup after Michael Owen in 1998 (18 years, 198 days) and Luke Shaw in 2014 (18 years, 347 days).

The Birmingham City academy product became the second-youngest player to score for England in the competition behind only Owen with his goal against Iran.

The teenage midfielder will remain in high demand ahead of the January transfer window, which Liverpool will target as a chance to strengthen their squad.

Liverpool are sixth in the Premier League and face a challenge to qualify for the Champions League, which Klopp accepts could impact which players his side try to sign.

"It's very important, very important," he said of his place in the top four. "That's obviously our main target. I'm surprised you're not asking me today 'can you be champions?'

"I think we have a good chance of qualifying for the Champions League. Whether it will happen this year, I don't know. But we are 100% one of the contenders for the next few years.

"If you ask a player and he says, 'yes, but next year you're not sure if you'll be in the Champions League; I'd rather go to a club that's playing there now , but maybe not next year".

"I'm not sure I would want this player to be honest yet. So it's like I understand him 100%. I want to be in the Champions League, to be honest, all the time.

"At the moment we still have ways to qualify for the Champions League next year. As long as this is the case, I consider us a suitable candidate for qualification."