"Based on what I know..." - Pundit drops major Bellingham update, it's great news for Liverpool

As the race for Jude Bellingham's signature intensifies, former Norwegian striker Jan Aage Fjortoft has a major update for Liverpool fans.

Bellingham is thought to be Jurgen Klopp's priority this January, having been vocal in his praise for the England international.

And now the Reds look to be frontrunners to sign the 19-year-old, following comments from Real Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti, which may rule Los Blancos out of the race.

The Italian said, via GOAL: "Bellingham has shown at the World Cup that he is a great midfielder, but so have others. Enzo Fernandez has played very well. Gavi and Pedri as well.

"Bellingham is one of those very good midfielders, but I'll stick with the ones we have."

Many fans may have thought the Reds' severe drop in form this season will have damaged their chances of signing Bellingham. However, Fjortoft seems to think otherwise.

Fjortoft: Liverpool 'don't need Champions League' football to sign Bellingham

Following Liverpool's recent results, the Reds look increasingly likely to miss out on a Champions League spot, and this could seriously affect their transfer plans, with most top players striving to play in Europe's elite competition

But Fjortoft doesn't think this will bother Bellingham. Speaking to Empire of the Kop, he said: “No, I don’t think you need to be in the Champions League… we can only judge [Bellingham] by what he has done earlier in his career and there was contact with many clubs before he chose Dortmund, which was his project to develop into the player he is…

“Based on what I know about ‘team Bellingham’, this will be a five/six year plan – where will he develop next?

“There are years when you don’t get into the Champions League… I have a feeling that the people around him will say it [not qualifying for the Champions League] won’t count [in transfer negotiations] but of course if you’re an ambitious young player – you want to be in the Champions League”.

In contrast, former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher voiced his concerns on the matter, believing Liverpool's failure to qualify for the tournament would be a "problem."

Talking to Sky Sports earlier this month, he said: "People keep talking about Jude Bellingham and rightly so, he's going to be one of the best young players in world football, but if Liverpool don't get top four that'll be a problem."