One Liverpool youngster could find himself at the centre of a transfer tussle between a pair of arch-rival clubs, according to a report which emerged today.
Leighton Clarkson has been impressing on a season-long loan at Aberdeen and is duly believed to have attracted the attention of two leading Scottish Premiership clubs.
Football Insider have reported that Celtic and Rangers are ready to battle for the 21-year-old’s signature, with his current side also vying to sign him permanently following his success at Pittodrie.
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Capable of playing in any central midfield role (as a number 6, 8 or 10), the youngster has chipped in with 13 goal contributions in 33 appearances for the Dons this term – indeed, he grabbed an assist in the recent 2-0 win over the Ibrox outfit (Transfermarkt).
His chances at Liverpool have been extremely limited, featuring in only three senior games – domestic cup ties against Aston Villa and Shrewsbury when the Reds fielded line-ups comprised entirely of underage players, and a Champions League game against Midtjylland when we’d already won our group (Transfermarkt).
However, he’s caught the eye of Jurgen Klopp, who in 2021 called him ‘one of the biggest talents in our club’ and described him as a ‘similar’ player to Germany’s 2014 World Cup-winning captain Philipp Lahm (Metro).
Opportunities at Anfield will likely be quite hard to come by for Clarkson, so if a decent bid is made for him, the club may be tempted to accept it, particularly if it’s to a league he already knows and with a side who could realistically challenge for domestic glory every year.
The presence of former Liverpool underage coach Michael Beale at Rangers could give them an edge over Celtic, although the latter will almost certainly be able to offer him Champions League group stage football, given the near-inevitability of them retaining their Premiership title.