According to reports from South America, Liverpool are the frontrunners to sign a highly-rated youngster from Brazil.
UOL stated that the Reds are ‘the favourite club’ to land Sao Paulo defender Lucas Beraldo, who was named among a list of seven young players earmarked to break into the national team and revive them from their current slump.
It was reported earlier this month that representatives from Anfield flew to the far side of the Atlantic Ocean for discussions over a potential £20m move to Merseyside.
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Among Beraldo’s standout traits are his ability to be deployed in multiple positions, along with his masterful use of the ball.
The 20-year-old is capable of playing on either side of central defence, as well as in the number 6 role (CaughtOffside), while he ranks among the top 5% of centre-back outside of Europe for passes attempted (72.33) and progressive passes per 90 minutes (5.57) over the past 12 months, as per FBref.
However, there may be some legitimate questions as to whether he yet has the physicality to thrive in the Premier League, with his match averages of 1.1 tackles and 1.71 successful aerial duels placing him in only the 22nd percentile for positional peers in the past year (FBref).
Also, as pointed out by Neil Jones in recent days, Liverpool don’t have a tendency to buy directly from South American clubs, instead seeing how players from the continent prove themselves in Europe first before making their move.
With just over five weeks remaining until the transfer window reopens, speculation as to possible signings in the first month of 2024 will ramp up. Whether the Reds buck the trend by going straight for Beraldo at Sao Paulo remains to be seen.
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