Liverpool are understood to have been charmed by the talents of Sao Paulo’s Lucas Beraldo.
This comes courtesy of Fichajes (via Sport Witness), with the Merseysiders also understood to have held a keen interest in Fluminense star Andre.
Jurgen Klopp’s men are understood to be keen on signing a left-footed centre-back – parameters met by the 19-year-old defender.
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A double-raid of the Brazilian top-flight, then, wouldn’t be entirely unrealistic if we do indeed hold some interest in Beraldo ahead of the January transfer window.
The teenager would also surely tick a big box when it comes to expectations over game time given his relative youth, allowing the club to naturally build his minutes alongside a highly experienced professional in Virgil van Dijk.
Whilst his stats should be taken with a pinch of salt perhaps in light of only 1296 minutes played over the last year, it paints the picture of a reliable operator in possession with a pass success rate and progressive passes rate putting him in the 93rd and 95th percentile respectively of defenders, according to FBref.
Though it shouldn’t take away from Jarell Quansah’s time on the pitch – especially not in light of how reliable the Academy graduate has been already this campaign – the reality is that we’re rather short on genuine alternatives to our Dutch international.
The sooner we look at potential heirs to our No.4’s throne in the backline, the better!
#Ep93 of The Empire of the Kop Podcast: EOTK Insider with Steve Kay🎙️