Liverpool have been linked with a move for Borussia Dortmund prodigy Jude Bellingham all season, with the touted teenage sensation arguably the most coveted item in world football at present.
A plethora of reports have circulated this term, with Liverpool alongside European powerhouses Manchester City and Real Madrid in respective conquests to land the phenom.
What's the latest on Bellingham to Liverpool?
A catastrophic blow has been beset upon the Merseyside outfit following The Athletic's ever-reliable David Ornstein's recent revelations that Jurgen Klopp's Reds are "increasingly unlikely" to get a prospective deal over the line, with the financial pull deemed inferior in the shadow of the aforementioned giants.
The deal is certainly not dead, but Liverpool would be wise to make contingency plans if clinching the one-time Birmingham City starlet does not end up at Anfield, and while transfer plans will undoubtedly be in place to bolster the midfield, Klopp must delve into the youth ranks and unleash a homegrown diamond in Michael Laffey to instil unrelenting fluidity into the centre once more.
Who is Michael Laffey?
18-year-old Stefan Bajcetic earned a shot at first-team action this season after impressing in the Kirkby academy, exceeding expectations emphatically and going on to make 19 senior appearances before injury cruelly cut his breakout campaign short.
And with Liverpool, who languish in sixth in the Premier League, six points off the top-four, struggling to reach the same resounding heights that have left the club in eminent standing over recent years, having gleaned the Premier League and Champions League among other major honours under Klopp's wing, a breath of fresh air could provide the dimension needed to get back on track.
Hailed as "outstanding" by club icon Jamie Carragher, Laffey has forged 21 appearances for Liverpool's U18 side, scoring a goal and serving three assists from his industrious positioning.
As written by This is Anfield, the teenage sensation is a "productive passer who can bite into challenges in front of the defence", praised as the "backbone" of his formative outfit.
This all-embracing midfield arsenal draws parallels to Bellingham's own, with the "generational talent", as dubbed by journalist Raphael Honigstein, ranking among the top 8% of midfielders across Europe for progressive passes, the top 5% for clearances and the top 15% for blocks per 90, as per FBref, illustrating a semblance in approach that could be harnessed at full potential on Merseyside.
Evidently, there is a gulf between the current fortunes of Bellingham and Laffey – also hailed a "great prospect" by Carragher – but development is not linear in football and the 17-year-old is offering all the promise of a player destined for Premier League football over the coming years.
With the right nurturing, the possible failure of landing the Yellow Wall's prized asset could be a distant memory indeed. Over to you, Laffey.