Image for Liverpool in huge 11-club race to sign potential future superstar playmaker – report
Image for Liverpool in huge 11-club race to sign potential future superstar playmaker – report
Liverpool are believed to be one of 11 high-profile clubs involved in a battle to snap up highly-rated German teenage playmaker Niko Ilicevic in the near future.
The Reds appear to be making a concerted effort to target some of the best young players around, ensuring that they are in good hands well into the future.
Jeremy Jacquet looks like a centre-back with an enormous amount of potential, for example, being hailed by Samuel Umtiti after his debut for France earlier this week:
“He’s a defender, he wins his duels, he’s very clean. I loved making passes, breaking lines… I saw him do it, try things, and it’s rare these days to find defenders like that. The priority when you’re a defender is to defend well, and he did it very well. It’s great to see.”
Liverpool also have Rio Ngumoha in their ranks, with the Englishman a player who has been open about believing he can win the prestigious Ballon d’Or later in his career, when asked about his aims:
“I’m so confident in myself – hopefully, a Ballon d’Or. And also many club trophies with Liverpool – many Prems (Premier Leagues), Champions Leagues, obviously everyone wants to win that. But just to be regarded as one of the best players to ever play football.”
Now, TEAMtalk report that the Reds are interested in signing Ilicevic from Eintracht Frankfurt, with the 15-year-old having a “growing queue” of admirers.
In fact, Liverpool are among 11 clubs in the mix to snap up the attacker, who is “regarded as one of the club’s and Europe’s leading prospects” ahead of his 16th birthday at the end of this month.
It is stated that Manchester City, Barcelona, Real Madrid, AC Milan and Inter Milan are all “monitoring” Ilicevic’s development, while Bayern Munich, Chelsea, Tottenham and Newcastle United are also in the mix.
Liverpool signing Niko Ilicevic would be a major coup
Ilicevic is clearly still an extremely young player who wouldn’t be part of Liverpool’s senior setup for a while, but signing him over so many other fellow huge clubs would feel like a significant coup.
But despite his tender years, the above report still claims that “Frankfurt believe he is close enough to senior football to be introduced gradually once he is eligible”, adding that they “want his pathway to begin in the Bundesliga rather than abroad.”
Described as “very, very advanced” for his age by Frankfurt sporting director Markus Krosche, Ilicevic possesses the creativity to weave magic in the final third, making him a difference-maker during games.
It will take some work for Liverpool to beat so many others to the left-footed playmaker’s services, especially as a stay in Germany is preferred by his current club, but the hope is that he likes the look of what Andoni Iraola is doing at Anfield in his early months in charge.
It is refreshing to see the Reds targeting youth and not just signing players for the present, and given his growing reputation, Ilicevic should be high up on their list of priorities.