Liverpool eyes ‘Next William Saliba’ in £26 million move amid Barcelona clash.
Approaching the November international break, Liverpool can review a solid start to the season, trailing Manchester City by three points in the Premier League with 24 points from 11 matches. Despite a Europa League loss, Klopp’s team maintains a strong position and is a win away from the League Cup semi-final. While a week and a half ago, January reinforcements seemed a luxury, recent games exposed key weaknesses. Thursday’s defeat, the second since April, followed a 1-1 draw with Luton. With Mac Allister and Endō struggling, Klopp may need to hasten plans for a specialist number six, potentially shaping the season’s narrative.
Lucas Beraldo
The center-back from São Paulo, is reportedly drawing attention from Liverpool. Liverpool is mentioned alongside other clubs like Bayern Munich, Lyon, Monaco, Porto, Fiorentina, and Wolves that have been linked to the player. Although Beraldo’s contract has a release clause of $64 million (£52 million/€60 million), the Brazilian club is open to negotiating a ‘fair price’ rather than insisting on the full amount. Despite facing financial difficulties last year, the club has recovered, eliminating the need for a discounted sale.
According to Liverpool.com, Goal compares Beraldo to Arsenal’s William Saliba due to his ‘pace, strength, and excellent distribution,’ which aligns with why Liverpool is interested in him. If Liverpool believes Beraldo has the potential to reach a level similar to Saliba, who was part of the PFA Team of the Year in 2022/23, they may be willing to outbid other clubs.
Liverpool faces a decision regarding their center-half position with Joël Matip’s contract nearing its end and young player Jarell Quansah delivering a series of impressive performances. The club must assess whether Quansah, like Beraldo, has demonstrated the potential to be a long-term starter at the elite level. Despite being a teenager, the Brazilian has already started 19 league games, both legs of a cup final (which São Paulo won), and seven matches leading to the Copa Sudamericana quarter-final.
Gabriel Moscardo (Corinthians)
Liverpool is in a competition with Barcelona, Chelsea, and Newcastle to secure the signature of Corinthians midfielder Gabriel Moscardo. Xavi and Barcelona are reportedly very eager to sign Moscardo and have undertaken extensive efforts to convince him.
Real Madrid has observed Moscardo but hasn’t shown heightened interest. Everton and Fulham are also aware of the player but may find it challenging to sway him due to the appeal of their competitors.
Chelsea has reached out to Moscardo’s camp and discovered that the 18-year-old is available for $32 million (£26 million/€30 million), but there is a ‘risk’ of losing out to a domestic or continental rival. Moscardo himself expresses a desire to move to Europe but is cautious about harming his relationship with Corinthians.
Liverpool.com notes that recent reports indicate Liverpool has no plans to pursue Fluminense’s Copa Libertadores winner André in the January transfer window. However, the focus could shift to another Brazilian midfield talent instead.
While Moscardo plays in the same position, his experience is more limited, with only 915 league minutes in 15 outings. From this perspective, it’s somewhat unclear why Liverpool would enter a highly contested race for his signature, especially when they have a promising number six in Stefan Bajčetić, who is arguably more advanced in his development.
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