Exclusive: The Jude Bellingham 'roulette' is open but the odds are stacked against Liverpool - Jan Aage Fjørtoft

Every word from Empire of the Kop's exclusive interview with Jan Aage Fjørtoft as he discussed Liverpool's chances of signing Jude Bellingham and how much he will cost

Let’s start with a simple question, what’s happened with Liverpool’s pursuit of Jude Bellingham?

“Well, I would like to tell you the background, because Dortmund have been desperately trying to get Jude Bellingham to stay. Which is fair enough.

“They want to to catch Bayern Munich, as we speak, they're two points behind. They've got massive ambitions, of course, in the Champions League as well. We tend to forget that because they are kind of an academy for a lot of big clubs, including Bayern Munich.

“In the last couple of weeks, I understood that Dortmund have more or less given up on [keeping Bellingham] and that they think he will go. I was told from a very reliable source in Germany, I have to define that because I am not a transfer journalist - I'm not a Fabrizio Romano, I’m not even a a junior high school pupil to Fabrizio Romano!

“But, I know a lot of people and they told me that Liverpool had made an offer. What I then realised when I put that out on Twitter, all the credible journalists who have phone numbers to some people at Liverpool, they said they haven't made an offer.

“So, I was thinking a lot about that and I spoke to my to my guy, and I tried to to do the analysis of how likely that will be. It's also interesting to see that [Liverpool] went from being very, very interested in Jude Bellingham to cool off the interest. I mean, that is not very normal.

“And also the same journalist was also writing that Jude Bellingham loves the idea of playing for Liverpool. We've seen all the Liverpool players lobbying him during the World Cup. Steven Gerrard more or less leaving his wife to to marry Jude Bellingham, and all those kind of things.

“So, what I think has happened, which is my analysis on this, is that that Liverpool have talked to Dortmund, they've said how much they could be willing to pay for him, and we do know that Dortmund are unbelievably ambitious in terms of how much they want for [Bellingham]. Remember they missed [big money for] Erling Haaland because he had a clause in his contract, so Manchester City, in terms of transfer fee, got a very cheap player in this market. And with Jude Bellingham, it seems that they want to have everything back there in Germany.

“Now, I’ve just spent three days in Germany, and they're talking about €130 million and you can imagine the situation in a club like Liverpool, you’re not sure about what's happening with the ownership, how much money your club will have available - that is too much money.

“So I think that is done now. I would just add that I think that this is done now because it's a selling club, they can want as much money they want, but at the end of the day, the market will decide where he goes, and it's also where the player wants to go.

“And I think that what people have said, where he wants to go. I think that is not very reliable because I can't understand why the player will say [I want to go to a certain club] when you've got four or five great alternatives - why should he say where he wants to go?”

Do you know, or have any idea of what Liverpool have been able to offer for Bellingham?

“Not 100%. I've seen and I've tried to follow everybody to try to see.

“What fans need to know, what I need to know, what everybody needs to know is that there are some journalists always that know more because this is also about owning the truth and you will always see that.

“Like when Bayern Munich missed out on Erling Haaland, it was reported that they never even negotiated for him but then this week and, I knew that all the time but I could never write it because I had promised not to say. And this week it came out that he was nearly getting more money at Bayern Munich, than he is at Manchester City now, believe it or not.

“So, I won’t speculate on on [how much Liverpool bid for Bellingham], the only thing that I will say, based on what I know about football and from what I can see with the money Liverpool have spent on Darwin Nunez and Cody Gakpo. I don't think [Liverpool] will go into a kind of hope or wish to get that kind of player and not think they will have to offer less than they were willing to pay for Nunez, I think that [their bid] will be somewhere in that region. But that is only speculation”.

So, to confirm, do you think Jude Bellingham will be sold for €130 million this summer?

“Well, whether that is what he will be sold for, I think that is the the amount that Dortmund wants to have and why?

“Because you've seen with Chelsea, the way they have spent money on Enzo Fernandez, Dortmund will feel that their player is not worse than the Argentinian Chelsea have in in their midfield, although one of them is a world champion.

“But still, I think that we will see it in that region is where the fee will end up. I think Manchester City has been very quiet which is how they do their business and to be fair to Liverpool, they've been quiet as as well.

“But still two plus two is four, Jurgen Klopp being a good friend of the CEOs at Dortmund, you just feel that that that was a match in heaven. But we know that, and I am using this from Erling Haaland, we should not overestimate the influence of a manager, because Erling went to the to RB Salzburg, the manager was gone in in half a year, went to Dortmund and another coach left, so you can't overdo [the role of a manager].

“I always use the metaphor from Formula One, there need to be seats available. My God, there are some seats available in midfield of Liverpool, so I think that's why everybody thinks that you be would be the perfect fit”.

If it isn’t Liverpool who sign Bellingham, where could he go - or will he stay at Dortmund for another year?

“There was a suggestion that I read somewhere by people who think they had a good idea around that before the Real Madrid vs. Chelsea game, that Madrid will get him. They will get Jude Bellingham and park him at Dortmund for one year. But I think that is not a good solution. Because we know when your mind is gone, when your heart is gone, it is hard to keep your body there.

“So, I think you the usual suspects will be there with Manchester City and Real Madrid. I understand Manchester United will always have ambitions to get the best players in the world. But, I say it again, the roulette is open and and there's a lot of things that can happen.

“I’ve got a feeling that the player wants to go back to England. Why do I think so? It is because I think that the Real Madrid is seen by young players as the kind of the last resort. When you are at Real Madrid, what do you do after Real Madrid? And I think that's that's why the Premier League is is the place to be at the moment.

“Talking about seats available, well, the the drivers at Real Madrid are Luka Modric and Tony Kroos and so there are not many seats available and in all respect to the Liverpool midfielders that I’ve worked with and and I've rated very much so - they're not the future Liverpool Football Club”.

Could this all be a smokescreen from Liverpool and could a deal still be completed?

“I don't think anybody who is trying now to speculate where he will be going, and I don’t believe that the player or the people are saying that he won't go to Liverpool, I don't believe that because I don't think we're so far away.

“You can understand that for Team Bellingham, they will see what they want to go and it's so easy to find all the positive things about going to Liverpool, talking about atmosphere and we have to talk about the manager.

“They also make football players better and that is sometimes hard to forget when when you're struggling in the table and that has been a part of the magic of Jurgen Klopp, that he's making players better.

“Bellingham hasn't forgotten that and and it's also something I see sometimes with Manchester United, and especially Liverpool, the traditional clubs, they say they're not spending money, but the Liverpool have spent money, they have.

“They had used money but they found that the department of the strikers was more important that in the midfield, I think that Michael Edwards or Julian Ward or the club, they would kind of regret that because I think the the toughest part of a football club, is running a football club.

“It's easy for us standing outside but the hardest thing is to kill your darlings and Liverpool, when I grew up, they sold Kevin Keegan and got Kenny Dalglish. That is the standard for a football club like Liverpool Football Club and that is hard but the club will always have this attraction.

“Liverpool will always have that attraction when people are talking about the usual suspects of where Bellingham will go, obviously Liverpool will be in there.

“I also watched the press conference of club today. Yes, Klopp used some metaphors about Ferrari when you're five. I never asked for a Ferrari when I was five, but I understand this metaphor. But I still think that that the roulette is open and just take it from me, you will see a lot of different directions before we have the final decision”.

Do you think Klopp will be disappointed with how the Bellingham negotiations are going so far?

“I think it’s not that I'm not aware of that but I think it's normal that a manager when you compete [for a signing and see it now work], think it's unfair. But when you’re a manager that brought in Alisson and van Dijk, then other clubs could say: ‘Well, we didn't get them, you spend a lot of money’.

“Manchester United spent an awful lot of money without getting the the proper quality and I've said before that I think that sometimes a club is a victim of its own success.

“Klopp’s success story of developing players, because if you're a big time owner and you will sit in America and look at your manager and you will say: ‘Why don't you just do it again? Why do you want all that money? Do the same thing you did with Andy Robertson, is that so hard to do that again? Or Joel Matip coming from from Germany - he was as an OK defender, you made him into a international defender. Why don't you do that again?’

“Of course, that will be be frustrating. But I have to say, in Jurgen Klopp, Liverpool have got one of the best ambassadors a club can dream about. There is none of his frustration that has come out. I guess an emotional man like Jurgen Klopp will have a go at someone inside, of course. But still he has managed to do that and, if you compare him with other managers, sometimes they they're ending up having a go at their own club.

“He's been at Liverpool for 7/8 years, you never heard him say one bad word about the club, about the owners, about the people. In quite the contrary, he's been the best ambassador Liverpool can dream of. He's very, very loyal”.

Do you know if Jude Bellingham is upset with the news that has come out about Liverpool?

“I think with players, we sometimes tend to forget that these are products. These are football stars who are just living in a in a bubble of their own.

“These players will be on WhatsApp groups. When Liverpool in the public, through their journalists, say they're not interested, then the players will be on the WhatsApp group straight away to Jude Bellingham, saying: ‘What's happening?’

“That's what footballers do and footballers do that all the time. They will have a joke and then you will have other players saying: ‘Any chance you will come here now then?’. And I guess the England players will have their own WhatsApp group for the players. I can guess that the last few days there's been a lot of emojis and GIFs that have been sent around to each other.

“So I still think that, on one hand, this big deal will be done - we're talking about €130 million. You can imagine you can buy a building society for that kind of money. So there's a lot of things that need to be done.

“But for the players they are more kids than we think. They are a good football players who wants to move on and that's why you should never underestimate the power of the players. The power of what the players feel, that they have to be a place where they are taken care of”.

If it’s not Bellingham then, who could Liverpool sign this summer?

“I would say the usual suspects, it's so easy just to say all the good midfielders you know about. Liverpool have been in the market and Liverpool has been showing over the years that they have a good recruitment department that have been a part of their success.

“And let's not forget, people are too quick to jump on the other side, as Liverpool fans you have probably said or heard so many times: ‘We were battling for four trophies and blah, blah, blah’ but that is the fact - this is the same team.

“Yes, the history of football show us that suddenly football teams get a bit older, they get a bit slower, that happened in the past and it’s happening at Liverpool.

“They will be out there now looking for players and how you know from Klopp and his staff, they will have the candidates but I like I said, and not being a transfer journalist, I can only say to you that in God you trust and your God will be Klopp and his recruitment department”.

Finally then, yes or no - will Jude Bellingham be a Liverpool player next season?

“I have no idea. I think that is the part of the things that maybe makes me a bit reliable because I will never answer anything that I don't have any sources for.

“If you want to say I'm lying, you have to kill my sources but still, I would never do a yes or no on that, but I don't know”.

Thank you once again to Jan Aage Fjørtoft for taking the time to talk with us and make sure to give him a follow on his Twitter account: @JanAageFjortoft

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