Liverpool’s interest in Andre Trindade is common knowledge by now, but the Fluminense colossus isn’t the only Brazilian midfielder who’s on the radar at Anfield.
According to Fabrizio Romano, the Reds are among several ‘top’ European clubs who’ve been ‘following’ Palmeiras teenager Luis Guilherme for a ‘long time’.
The 17-year-old recently signed a new contract with his current employers which runs to 2026 and contains a €55m (£47.7m) release clause, although it is the Sao Paulo club’s ‘strategy’ to ‘prepare [for a] future sale’.
🇧🇷 Official, confirmed. Luiz Guilherme signs new long term deal until 2026 as €55m release clause is included.
Bayern, Liverpool, Chelsea and more European top clubs have been following Luiz for long time 👀 https://t.co/xJNBx2mZPK
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) November 2, 2023
The attacking midfielder – who turns 18 next February – has already made 26 senior appearances for Palmeiras, albeit mostly as a substitute (Transfermarkt).
Guilherme is renowned for his searing pace, having clocked a speed of 36.4km per hour during an under-17 cup final last year (Globo Esporte), while he was recently included in The Guardian‘s ‘Next Generation’ list of 60 top youngsters to watch.
His club’s youth director João Paulo Sampaio described how the teenager left opponents ‘scared’ during a tournament in which he scored more than 40 goals, also dubbing him ‘a very special player’ (The Guardian).
His contract extension at Palmeiras isn’t so much a renewed commitment as an acknowledgement that he will be sold and that it’s their priority to extract as big a fee as possible from his eventual departure.
If Liverpool were to win the race for his signature, he could either be a squad player given game-time in domestic cups, or possibly loaned out for a season or two to gain experience at senior level in a competitive European league.
We can only wait and see if the Reds take their reported interest much further in the coming weeks and months, but Guilherme certainly looks like a hugely exciting prospect who’s worth keeping an eye on.