Liverpool boss Arne Slot. (Photo by Paul ELLIS / AFP via Getty Images)placeholder image
Liverpool boss Arne Slot. (Photo by Paul ELLIS / AFP via Getty Images) | AFP via Getty Images
Liverpool will be looking to strengthen again in January and are being tipped to be successful with a move for a Brazilian magician.
A part of Arne Slot must be wishing that Liverpool could start the season again given some of the problems he’s experienced since the first game of the campaign.
A potentially season-ending injury and leg break for Alexander Isak means that the Reds will be looking for cover for Hugo Ekitike but the latest transfer news won’t have an bearing on the current squad until it’s too late due to a FIFA ruling. With Mohamed Salah on African Cup of Nations duty, Slot is struggling for numbers in the forward line and will need to find a solution if Champions League football is to return to Anfield next year.
Liverpool bid for Brazilian wonderkid expected to succeed
The Premier League might be all but over, however, there is still a chance for Liverpool to go all the way in Europe’s elite tournament. A more pragmatic approach can be beneficial over two legs especially if clean sheets become the norm against and Ekitike continues his recent goal-scoring form. The manager will need more depth though with Antoine Semenyo preferring a move to Liverpool with a centre-half and midfielder being tipped to arrive over the coming weeks.
A striker has been identified as well with Sport Witness reporting that a “offer is expected” to be made for a player dubbed the next Neymar and compared to Ronaldinho over the next week with a fee of £10m claimed to be enough to land the services of Gabriel Mec. Linked with several clubs in Europe, the Gremio youngster could provide exactly the type of depth that Slot needs, however, the Brazilian isn’t 18 until April which means that his deal can’t be completed until after the season is over. A deal can be signed and sealed, he just can’t be registered.
Liverpool target has already held Premier League move talks
Chelsea have seen how productive signing players from Brazil can be with Estavao already exceeding expectations. Enzo Maresca is trying to hold the teenage winger back, however, his impact so far suggests that only Chelsea are being held back by not playing him more often. The Club World Cup winners have also been credited with an interest in Mec with the player himself addressing the speculation recently: “The talks with Chelsea were real,” he told ESPN Brazil. “It is a very big club, you cannot deny that. There are many Brazilians there as well. I was happy, really happy, that they showed interest.
“They came to watch some matches. I always say that the future depends on the present. If I keep getting good results, working properly and doing my job, clubs will keep watching.”
He might not be available straight away, but signing someone as highly rated as Mec before they cost a fortune or before they make the move to Europe should be part of any successful recruitment model. All Richard Hughes has to do now is find someone in January who can replace Isak.
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