Reports have emerged that Liverpool scouts were in attendance during the European Under-21 Championship final between Portugal and Sweden, which was won by the latter on penalties after a goalless draw on Tuesday.
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According to the Liverpool Echo, who reference Portuguese source O Jogo, the Reds were watching on with interest as the two European giants fought tooth and nail for the right to lift the trophy.
The source speculates that the Reds were specifically watching Sporting Lisbon’s defensive midfielder William Carvalho, who ironically missed the decisive spot kick that sealed Sweden’s victory.
However, we wouldn’t be surprised if there was more to our interest than Carvalho, with so many young players on display. In the list below we note down six potential targets that we could have been looking at.
Ludwig Augustinsson (FC Copenhagen & Sweden)
The full-back would provide a useful back-up option for our squad, which is a little short in quality on the left-hand side. Alberto Moreno would remain our first-choice player, while Augustinsson would replace Jose Enrique as our number two. Enrique has barely featured over the last two years due to injury while Jon Flanagan, who played there for the majority for the 2013-14 campaign, has plenty of problems of his own and is likely to be out for the foreseeable future. The Daily Mail have already tipped us for a £2m deal before the transfer window closes.
William Carvalho (Sporting Lisbon & Portugal)
The 23-year-old was comfortably the most well-known name on display in this game and it’s unlikely that we were the only team with scouts having a look at him this summer. He’s already won thirteen full caps for his country and represented them at the World Cup. He’s played 60 league games for Sporting and picked up his first trophy with them at the end of last season. Despite missing the decisive penalty at this summer’s Euros he was still voted the player of the tournament, while he’s previously won the Portuguese league’s Breakthrough Player Award.
Oscar Lewicki (Malmo & Sweden)
With the Reds still keen on midfield reinforcements following the departure of captain Steven Gerrard, we could do worse than to consider this deep lying playmaker. Lewicki started his career at Bayern Munich and spent a year playing regularly for their reserve side. However, he turned down a new contract and chose to return to Sweden in 2011. He signed for champions Malmo earlier this year and has scored twice in his first eight games for the club. He made his debut for the Sweden national team in 2014 and has since won four full international caps.
Bernardo Silva (AS Monaco & Portugal)
The attacking midfielder joined Monaco from Benfica on a permanent basis earlier this year and has already made a big impact for the French giants, scoring seven goals in his first 17 league appearances. He’d previously scored twice for them during a loan spell. His chances were limited in Portugal, although he scored seven times in 38 games for Benfica’s reserve side. He’s also netted six times for Portugal’s Under-21 side, with his performances leading to his first full international cap earlier this year. He looks set to be a big name over the coming years.
Victor Lindelof (Benfica & Sweden)
This right-sided defender could prove to be a useful understudy to Nathaniel Clyne. The Reds have already been linked with Italian youngster Davide Zappacosta (via the Metro), so appear to be open to further recruiting in defensive areas, although current squad players Javier Manquillo, Andre Wisdom and Joe Gomez will all no doubt be hoping to get their chance as well. This 20-year-old currently plays for Benfica, who he’s been with since 2012. He’s so far made almost 100 league appearances for their reserve side and will hope to make the step-up soon.
Tiago Ilori (Liverpool & Portugal)
There was of course one Liverpool player involved in the game and no doubt our scouts were asked to keep an eye on his development as well as possible transfer targets. The youngster came into the tournament off the back of a fairly disappointing and injury-plagued season on loan at Bordeaux, where he only made a handful of appearances, but he shone in the Czech Republic. He was particularly impressive against England, when he helped his side ground out a 1-0 win. He’s really needs a big year, so let’s hope this is the start of a good season for him!
