Liverpool have been linked with the signing of Jude Bellingham for a great deal of time and now a reliable source has given an update on the club's pursuit of the player as the transfer window opens for business.

What's the latest?

According to CBS reporter Ben Jacobs, Liverpool are still "leading the race" to sign the Borussia Dortmund and England midfielder in 2023.

Jacobs told GIVEMESPORT: “I do think that Liverpool are leading the race for Bellingham.

"They’re going to have competition, but I think that there’s a cautious optimism on the Liverpool front that, because they started earlier than most and because they have put in a lot of legwork and they’ve been very hands-on, they believe that they’ve done all they can at this point in the race to make progress and land Jude Bellingham. Then we’ll wait and see how other suitors move and how that affects the situation.”

Liverpool's next Stevie G

There is no doubt that the signing of Bellingham would be a monumental move in the club's efforts to rebuild their midfield in 2023 as the England midfielder is one of the brightest young talents in football.

The 19-year-old star - who was dubbed "scary" by Jack Grealish - ranks in the top 10% of his positional peers across the top five European leagues for non-penalty goals, dribbles completed, touches and progressive passes received, as well as ranking in the top 15% for assists and shots on goal, proving that he is a real threat to opponents in the centre of the pitch.

Liverpool have found themselves struggling to retain their dominance in the Premier League and are currently sixth in the league table due to a number of inconsistent performances and several injury problems plaguing the squad over their first 16 outings.

Three midfielders including Naby Keita, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and James Milner will be out of contract in the summer, whilst Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson is coming to the latter stages of his career, making it the perfect time to acquire the services of Bellingham to bring in their next leader in the heart of the team.

Liverpool could even land their next Steven Gerrard with comparisons between the two talented midfielders already being made despite Bellingham's short career so far.

If he could replicate his Dortmund form at Anfield, having scored nine times this term, there's certainly no reason why the Birmingham-born ace couldn't follow in the footsteps of one of his "heroes" by captaining the club.

The legendary Premier League midfielder and former Aston Villa boss has already lavished praise on the £131m-valued youngster, claiming he was "excited" to watch Bellingham play for England at the World Cup:

“I’ll be focusing my attention on England," he said prior to the tournament in Qatar getting underway.

"I’m really excited to watch Jude Bellingham, I’m a massive fan of him. I think the next 10 or 15 years, he’s going to become an England superstar.”

With that being said, if Liverpool can secure the signature of Bellingham - who like Gerrard is a goal-scoring midfielder - either this month or over the summer it could set up the centre of Liverpool's team for many years to come.