I think the club briefing all the local journalists is more of a negotiation tactic to say ‘we know Jude wants us so you (BVB) better lower your demands’.
However if we are genuinely out of the race, then it could be a blessing in disguise as the Jude money could be used for 2-3 very good players.
The biggest issue I have with potentially missing out on Jude is that the club, mostly Klopp, sacrificed several windows and opportunities to strengthen the squad because we were hell bent on Jude. If he doesn’t end up here, it’s a massive egg on the face and shows how poor the squad management has been for quite some time.
Along with midfielders, we really need a DOF to help give us more strategy around recruitment because it has been shocking for some time