Cameron Brannagan is talented, but he’s not that good… is he?
If Ed Malyon in the Mirror is right, maybe he is. The Spanish football journalist, whose reputation is sturdy, claims both Real Madrid and Barcelona – arguably the two biggest clubs in the world – will enter a ‘shock bidding war’ to try and sign our 20-year-old this summer.
The report suggests that Real Madrid executive Emilio Butragueño spotted Brannagan in November 2014 and after instructing scouts to watch him extensively, wants his club to submit a £5.5m bid. Barca scouted the English midfielder on four occasions last season and while they cannot offer that kind of money, remain interested.
Brannagan signed a contract extension this term, but was still used sparingly by Jurgen Klopp. In total, the youngster made nine appearances for us in 2015/16, but only four from the start, only one of which was in the Premier League – coming on the final day of the season against West Brom.
Brannagan is technically excellent and possesses a range of passing. He’s nimble and can play off both feet, but there’s been no indication yet he’s ready for an elite move such as the ones mooted here.
The genuine interest though could force Liverpool’s hand to either give him more playing time or allow him to leave, although the former will be hard considering we haven’t got European football – where we could have used Brannagan early in 2016/17.
Still, the stories are hugely flattering for the Academy graduate, and we’re now very much looking forward to seeing him during pre-season, to see if he lives up to the hype! Maybe we won’t need a new central midfielder after all…
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(Video) Watch highlights of Brannagan v Sacramento – you won’t regret it…