Reported Liverpool transfer target Gabri Veiga showed just why the Reds are seemingly interested in him with a hugely impressive performance over the weekend.
As per ESPN in recent days, the 20-year-old is being closely monitored by the Anfield club, who have apparently ‘commissioned reports on both Veiga’s sporting and personal life’.
The youngster comes with a €40m (£35m) release clause, and he also has Real Madrid scouting him, according to Fabrizio Romano (via CaughtOffside on Substack).
Liverpool weren’t playing this weekend due to the postponement of the Premier League clash against Fulham, but the eyes of some Reds supporters and stakeholders may have been drawn to Celta in LaLiga action.
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Veiga opened the scoring in a 3-1 win away to Espanyol which extended his team’s unbeaten run to five games, his ninth league goal of the season and his fifth since the beginning of February (Transfermarkt).
It wasn’t just that 26th-minute strike which painted the 20-year-old in a positive light, though.
As per Sofascore, his overall match rating of 7/10 was bettered by just four players, and he got through plenty of work on and off the ball during his 70 minutes on the pitch.
Veiga won seven duels and made two interceptions and one tackle, while he showed his quality on the ball by completing all of his attempted dribbles and playing one key pass.
As per FBref, he ranks among the top 1% of midfielders in Europe’s five main leagues for shots, non-penalty goals and successful dribbles, a marker of the attacking impetus he frequently provides from the middle of the park.
Liverpool will no doubt be encouraged by what they saw from the youngster over the weekend, although many more performances like this will surely see him attract admiring glances from many more top clubs across Europe.