Liverpool miss out on 'next Jude Bellingham' to Chelsea - will have to sign the real deal instead

Liverpool have missed out on the 'next Jude Bellingham' following news that Chelsea have agreed a deal for Carney Chukwuemeka.

Chukwuemeka, 18, has been confirmed as a signing for Chelsea with the midfielder entering the final year of his deal.

Interest was high in the midfielder who had captained the England U19 side to success in the U19 European Championships.

With Liverpool missing out on a target labelled as the 'next Bellingham' perhaps they should just go for the real thing.

Have Liverpool missed out?

As mentioned, the U19 England sensation has been earmarked as a future star in midfield and his run at youth level has been brilliant.

He managed to break into the first-team squad at Villa last season, playing in the EFL Cup and 12 appearances in the PL.

The Guardian wrote last season that Liverpool had eyes on Chukwuemeka. The Reds have favoured young talent in recent years with Fabio Carvalho and Harvey Elliot now fully fledged first-team members.

If he joined Liverpool, he would have been competing against a deep Liverpool midfield roster but surely would have enjoyed some action.

With the likes of Jordan Henderson, Naby Keita, Thiago and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain all experiencing regular niggling injuries, it wouldn't have hurt to have a top prospect in waiting.

Especially considering Liverpool have just come off the back of a 60-game season which was the maximum amount of games they could have played.

Coming off the back of that, and with a World Cup in November, it could see players struggling with fitness with rotation a key factor.

With the Bellingham links growing stronger each week, Liverpool may not feel the effect of not signing Chukwuemeka but he's still a top prospect that's got away.