Gabriel Schluter was linked with a move to Liverpool last week after impressing in the Blackpool youth ranks.
Blackpool sporting director David Downes admits it can be a challenge to keep hold of younger players when category one clubs come calling - amid recent reports linking teenager Gabriel Schluter with a move to Liverpool.
The attacker caught the eye last season for his performances at youth level for the Fylde Coast outfit, with his senior debut coming in an EFL Trophy tie against Liverpool U21s back in November.
Last week, Football Insider reported that a fee had been agreed between the Seasiders and the Premier League champions, and that a medical had been booked in.
Since then, The Athletic’s James Pearce has posted: “Liverpool looked at Blackpool teenager Gabriel Schluter and admire him, but told suggestions that a deal to buy him is either done or even close to being done is wide of the mark.”
The Reds aren’t the first team to be linked with Schluter, with both Fulham and Stockport County rumoured to be interested at the back end of 2025.
Discussing the recent reports surrounding the youngster, Downes said: “We always want to try to keep our best players but while they’re at scholarship age we obviously remain at the mercy of a lot of cat one teams.
“We want to try to keep our better players, but sometimes the draw of a Liverpool or a top cat one makes it difficult for us to compete. It’s something that you struggle to affect.
“I hope we’ve shown in recent times that there’s a route through at Blackpool, with the faith the gaffer showed in Rob (Apter) in terms of game time, and then there’s Theo (Upton) and Spencer (Knight) who have shown themselves in the EFL Trophy.
“There’s opportunities there - they train with the first-team often enough. We want to show that there’s a pathway, but if cat one clubs come knocking then we’re at the mercy of contracts where they can take players from us. It’ll always be a challenge that we face.”
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