That is the view of The Athletic's James Pearce, who has crunched the numbers and told BBC Radio 5 Live's Football Daily podcast why Jurgen Klopp will turn elsewhere to strengthen their squad.

"It will surprise a lot of people as he was widely regarded as their top target," said Pearce. "But those I've spoken to at the club have said that after lengthy discussions, the deal stopped making sense.

"It comes down to the fact sources have quoted it'll cost 150m euros (about £130m) with agent fees and big wages on top of that.

"That would be a massive chunk of Klopp's kitty and they cannot justify that on one player."

On top of the cost, Pearce highlighted Liverpool's unwillingness to enter into a potential transfer saga with no assurance of being successful.

"They felt they could not put all their eggs in one basket without any guarantees Bellingham would even leave Dortmund," he said.

"Or, if he did, would he then choose Liverpool? The club are adamant they have moved on."