Liverpool ‘ahead of’ two European giants in race for €30m winger after Klopp makes transfer ‘order’

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·11 July 2023

Liverpool ‘ahead of’ two European giants in race for €30m winger after Klopp makes transfer ‘order’

Luiz Henrique in action for Real Betis

According to reports, Liverpool have moved ‘ahead of’ Barcelona and Real Madrid in the race to sign Real Betis attacker Luiz Henrique.

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Liverpool have been focused on signing new midfielders ahead of next season and they have already spent around £95m to sign Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai from Brighton and RB Leipzig respectively.

The Premier League giants remain in the market for one more midfielder, with it being widely reported that they are prioritising Southampton’s Romeo Lavia, who is also being considered by Arsenal.

Liverpool are well-covered in attacking areas, but some not-so-reliable media outlets continue to link them with forward players and Real Betis attacker Henrique is the latest to be mentioned as a potential recruit.

The 22-year-old was signed by Real Betis from Brazilian side Fluminense last summer and he enjoyed a successful debut season in La Liga.

The winger grabbed three goals and seven assists in his 43 appearances across all competitions for Real Betis.

Liverpool were first linked with Henrique over the weekend and now Spanish outlet Nacional are reporting that they are ‘ahead of’ Barcelona and Real Madrid in the battle to sign the youngster.

Barcelona, Real Madrid, Juventus and PSG have all ‘taken an interest’ in Henrique, but ‘Liverpool – by order of Jurgen Klopp – have intensified contacts to close the signing of the Brazilian as soon as possible’.

Real Betis ‘want to keep him for another season’, but they will ‘not hesitate to let him go’ if a ‘high offer arrives’. Liverpool meanwhile ‘would be willing to pay €30m (£25m)’ and this figure ‘would convince’ the La Liga outfit to sell their breakout star.

While this report is unlikely to bear fruit, Liverpool are much more likely to sign a young centre-back who will compete with Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate.

Torino star Perr Schuurs has emerged as a potential signing in this area of late. Football Insider are reporting he ‘has emerged as a top target for Liverpool this summer’. They add.

‘The centre-back ticks a lot of boxes for Reds boss Jurgen Klopp and is seen as a young player with the potential to develop into a top class defender. ‘The 23-year-old is also viewed as a cheaper alternative to some of the other big name centre-halves that are available this summer. ‘Last week (3 July), Football Insider revealed that Liverpool have turned their attention to signing a centre-back after completing a move for midfielder Dominik Szoboszlai. ‘Klopp is keen to bolster his defensive set up with another central defender after a difficult 2022-23 campaign and after securing Szoboszlai’s services are ready to push on with a move for a defender.’