Liverpool have tabled an offer to sign Sheffield Wednesday star Yisa Alao ahead of Manchester United, according to the Daily Mail.
The Reds had a record-breaking summer transfer window under Arne Slot as they broke the British transfer record twice for Florian Wirtz and Alexander Isak, while they also sealed deals for Jeremie Frimpong, Milos Kerkez and Giovanni Leoni.
But as we enter the new year, the club are already looking towards the future once more, and it has now emerged that they have made a bid to bring one youngster into their squad in the new year ahead of their great rivals.
Liverpool Make Offer to Sign Yisa Alao
Anfield
Anfield
Alao, who has been described as an 'exciting young player', made his first-team debut for the Owls earlier this season in the Carabo Cup despite being just 17, and recently featured in the Championship too.
His talent has been noted by several top clubs in the country, and after Manchester United tabled a £450,000 bid for the defender in December, it has now been reported that Liverpool have also made their move with a bid of their own.
After splashing the cash on Kerkez in the summer, the Anfield club are well stocked in the left back position. But Kostas Tsimikas is unlikely to return to the squad after being loaned out to AS Roma in the summer, while Andrew Robertson's contract at the club is currently set to expire in the summer.
While it's unlikely that Alao would go straight into the first-team picture should he sign, there is a clear pathway for him to make it, and Liverpool are likely to use that in any talks. It's unclear if either their offer or Man Utd's offer has been accepted or rejected at the time of writing.
Liverpool Build For the Future
Ngumoha
While Liverpool are a 'win now' team, having lifted the Premier League title last season, it's clear that they are also building for the future currently too.
Virgil Van Dijk, Mohamed Salah, Robertson and Alisson Becker are all the wrong side of 30 and the club are working on replacing them before their time at the club is over, to ensure a smooth transition.
A deal for Alao would be in line with that, while it would also secure the long-term future of one of the country's top prospects ahead of a rival. It would be a win-win situation for the Reds, and they are clearly convinced he can help them after making a bid, so this is one to watch in the coming weeks.
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