The agent of one reported Liverpool transfer target has confirmed the Reds’ interest in the player but is urging him not to make the move to Merseyside this summer.
Calciomercato reported in recent days that the Premier League giants are ‘ready’ to swoop for Lecce defender Patrick Dorgu after multiple scouting missions, and his representative has now backed those claims.
Speaking to Danish outlet Bold, Kingsley Ogbodo said of his client: “Liverpool want him. Liverpool have been watching him and interested in him for some time, but if he goes there he will have to play in the U23 team.
“It’s not the best for him, so I advise him not to do it. They can offer him a lot of money, but that’s not what we’re looking for right now. We focus on his career, development and playing time.
“We would like him to stay in Lecce a little longer. Two more seasons so he can mature and gain experience, so when he moves on to a bigger club in a few seasons, we will know at that time that he is ready for it.”
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With Ogbodo also revealing interest from Manchester City and Barcelona, it seems evident that Dorgu is a player with massive potential, despite not yet making his senior club debut (Transfermarkt).
The agent must be quite confident that the Denmark under-19 international will make the breakthrough into Marco Baroni’s first team next season if he’s urging him to snub the advances of suitors such as Liverpool.
His stance on the left-back’s future is understandable, and he clearly has the best interest of his client at heart, but the Reds may well be reluctant to miss out on a player whose promise is underlined by the scale of clubs who are being linked with him.
Dorgu obviously wouldn’t go straight into Jurgen Klopp’s first team given his complete lack of senior experience, but the Anfield powerbrokers may feel that now is the right time to strike for the teenager when he could still be acquired for a relatively modest sum.
If he bursts onto the scene in Serie A next season, interest in him will inevitably inflate, just like the asking price his club would demand from prospective suitors.
Ogbodo has made his viewpoint very clear; it may now come down to what the player himself wants.