Liverpool have financial edge in race to sign Jude Bellingham

According to a Spanish report, Jude Bellingham has two options on the table: moving to England to join either Liverpool or Manchester City or making a move to Real Madrid.

Now, that may not be news but it was also reported that Carlo Ancelotti's side is worried about being outmuscled financially by their Premier League counterparts.

Real Madrid, Liverpool, and Manchester City are all reportedly in the running to sign the 19-year-old, with Los Blancos reportedly hoping to secure his signing despite not being able to compete financially with the other two clubs.

This doesn't quite add up as Liverpool are one of the stingiest clubs in Europe when it comes to incomings. Conversely, Madrid are one of the most free-spending sides.

Marca also reports that Bellingham's father, Mark, is focused on choosing a club for sporting reasons over financial ones.

This has given Real Madrid confidence in their ability to sign him. However, interested parties will need to offer more than €110 million (over £96.6m) to secure his signing from Signal Iduna Park.

It will be interesting to see where he chooses to go but it's a stressful prospect for Liverpool fans as there may not be a better-suited player to Jurgen Klopp's midfield.

Bellingham may still be a teenager but he has the respect of top players and coaches across the world.

Real Madrid, as the reigning European Champions, could offer him a chance to compete at the highest level of club football, while a move to Liverpool or Manchester City would see him join two of the top clubs in the English Premier League.

Liverpool's bargaining power may be undermined by their shocking form this season. Last season, in the face of a quadruple hunt, Klopp's men lost just four games in all competitions. This season, with just about every player at the club underperforming, they've already lost 8 games.

While I am optimistic that Bellingham could look beyond this season's poor form, failing to qualify for the Champions League could prompt the youngster to choose between Man City and Real Madrid instead.