Reports from Portuguese paper Record, via Metro, have suggested that we’re linked with a world-record move for Benfica centre-back Francisco Reis Ferreira.
Otherwise known as Ferro, the 21-year-old centre-back made his first-team début for the Portuguese club in a 10-0 battering of Nacional in February. Since then, he has established himself as a key starter in Benfica’s defence.
It seems we’ve been after Ferro for a while; the report from Record states that we lodged a bid to take him on loan with an option buy him for £10m back in 2017. Now, it looks like Anfield top brass have gone back to Benfica again.
£10m would have been a steal – the Portugal Under-21 international now has a €100m (£85m) release clause in his contract, having signed fresh terms earlier in March, keeping him at Benfica until 2023.
If we want to land the promising young defender we’ll have to break the bank and our own world-record transfer for a defender to do so. When we paid £75m to bring Van Dijk to the club some baulked at the cost, but just look at what kind of impact he has had on the side.
Were we to bring this deal to fruition we would have two of the most expensive defenders in world football at the heart of our backline.
The report also suggests that Manchester City and Borussia Dortmund are also eager to do a deal with Benfica for the 21-year-old Ferro.
We’ll have to wait and see on this one, Reds – we need further defensive reinforcements even with the return of Joe Gomez and Dejan Lovren.