Reliable reporter drops evening update on Liverpool-linked wonderkid with ‘very high football IQ’ | OneFootball

Liverpool have been linked in recent days with one of the most coveted teenage prospects in European football.

Last week, Florian Plettenberg reported that the Reds have been ‘monitoring the situation’ of Andrija Maksimovic, a 17-year-old attacking midfielder with Red Star Belgrade who’s nicknamed Messi due to a childhood likeness with the Inter Miami and Argentina legend.

On Wednesday evening, Christian Falk took to X with an update on the Serbian wonderkid, who has some of Europe’s biggest clubs showing an interest.

(Photo by Marco Luzzani/Getty Images)

Liverpool unlikely to sign Maksimovic

Eintracht Frankfurt are understood to be leading the race for Maksimovic, who’s projected to cost an initial €12m with a potential €3m in add-ons.

Liverpool and Manchester City are deemed unlikely to sign him as either of those ‘could be too big a step’ for the teenager, although another Premier League club in Brighton are described as a viable ‘option’.

Maksimovic needs more exposure before moving to Liverpool

Red Star’s participation in the Champions League is giving Maksimovic some welcome exposure to the highest level of European football, and he’s started twice for his team in the competition, although their 5-1 hammering by Monaco on Tuesday starkly illustrates where they sit in the continental food chain.

However, the 17-year-old appears to be something of a star turn, with Jacek Kulig of Football Talent Scout detailing some of the attacker’s standout traits. The Serbian is described as a ‘highly creative’ playmaker with a ‘very high football IQ’ who’s ‘extremely elegant’ in the dribble and boasts an ‘excellent first touch’.

For all his promise, he and his agents appear to realise that going from the Belgrade outfit to the Liverpool starting XI would be too big a leap for someone who’s still inexperienced at a high level, with the likes of Eintracht or Brighton possibly seen as a stepping stone towards a potential Anfield move further down the line.

While the Reds probably won’t sign Maksimovic in the foreseeable future, he’s nonetheless an in-demand young prospect who’s worth keeping an eye on over the coming months and years.