As FSG may have once again struck it rich, Liverpool just received confirmation of a transfer agreement worth "$60 million."
Liverpool and FSG may have taken a hit from Jude Bellingham's assessment, but it also shows how much of a deal they recently got in the transfer market.
Liverpool apparently believed that it could sign Jude Bellingham from Borussia Dortmund for about $100 million (£80 million/€90 million) earlier this season.
But this week, FSG and the Reds made it known that they intended to drop out of the running due to a significant $60 million price increase (via The Athletic).
So how did Bellingham go from being valued at $100 million (in Liverpool's optimistic projections) to $161 million (£130 million/€145 million) in just a few short months?
It is mostly the result of the winter World Cup in Qatar, which has always been a worry for the team.
At England's most recent big competition, the postponed 2021 European Championships, Bellingham hadn't been a starter, with Gareth Southgate only using him three times off the bench and ignoring him in both the semifinal and championship games.
He was only 17 when that tournament began, but in the 18 months that have passed, he has made so significant progress that Southgate felt forced to start him.
Additionally, England, a finalist in the Euros, was a strong candidate to win the Jules Rimet trophy. Bellingham was prepared to compete for the highest honour and make an impression on the world stage of all.
A great individual performance combined with group success would raise his reputation and, hence, his asking price. Dortmund wanted it exactly, and Liverpool dreaded it exactly.
As it turned out, France defeated England in the quarterfinals to advance to the finals, but Bellingham still shone.
In a 6-2 victory against Iran on matchday one, he scored and stood out as one of the Three Lions' best players. Later, in a standout performance in the 3-0 round-of-16 victory over Senegal, he assisted Jordan Henderson.
The fact that the teenager was among the best-performing midfielders at the competition gave Dortmund all the justification it needed to up its expectations dramatically in what eventually turned out to be a losing situation for Liverpool.
Cody Gakpo, however, was another player who shone in Qatar.
The attacker scored in each of the Netherlands' three group games: a left-foot rocket against Ecuador, a right-footed strike against Qatar, and a glanced header against Senegal.
Gakpo would later assist the Dutch in their 3-1 Round of 16 victory over the USMNT and their comeback from two goals down to force the eventual champion Argentina to a penalty shootout.
Prior to the World Cup, the PSV Eindhoven player had already had an incredible club season, scoring 13 goals and, astoundingly, assisting on 17 more.
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