Liverpool hold pre-January discussions with club over signing ‘exciting’ PSG target

Liverpool have held pre-January club-to-club discussions over signing an ‘exciting’ young player wanted by European champions PSG.

Liverpool looking at two different ways to sharpen their attack

Reuters/Ed Sykes

The Reds’ next transfer window could tell us a lot about where Andoni Iraola thinks his attack still needs work.

Bradley Barcola and Víctor Muñoz gave him more pace out wide in the summer, yet the latest links take in another winger and a teenager who does his best work closer to the middle.

RB Leipzig’s Antonio Nusa reportedly remains on Liverpool’s radar, with Arsenal and Tottenham among the other clubs linked. The Norwegian has four goals and seven assists already this season, which helps explain why Leipzig would be in no hurry to sell a player still under contract until 2029.

REUTERS/Mike Segar

Wael Mohya would be a different sort of signing.

TEAMtalk reports that Liverpool are watching the Borussia Mönchengladbach playmaker, who is only 17 and already has Bayern Munich following him. Gladbach want him to sign a longer deal, so there’s a reason for interested clubs to keep tabs on those talks.

There could be a departure as well, with FourFourTwo reporting that Federico Chiesa may leave in January after struggling for minutes under Iraola.

That would free up a place in the squad, although Liverpool’s latest enquiry concerns a player who would need time to make it his own.

Palmeiras give Liverpool a price for Erick Belé talks

Sport Witness journalist Pedro Reinert reports that Liverpool have gone straight to Palmeiras to ask what it would take to sign Erick Belé.

The midfielder is 19 and still finding his feet in senior football, but Palmeiras told Liverpool that talks over a deal would start at around £25m.

The enquiry came before Palmeiras announced Belé’s new contract on Friday, keeping him tied to the club until October 2031, and while Brazilian outlet Itatiaia puts his release clause at £125m, Reinert says the renewal hasn’t changed Palmeiras’ asking price.

Liverpool haven’t made an offer or begun negotiating a fee, according to Sport Witness, and PSG have also been in touch with Palmeiras.

Parma tried a loan with an option to buy in the summer, but Palmeiras turned it down, which gives Liverpool some idea of how this could go if the terms don’t suit.

Belé had made seven senior appearances by the time the new contract was announced, having made his debut under Abel Ferreira last year, with academy X account Future Ballers lauding the teenager as one of Palmeiras’ most ‘exciting’ talents.

His first goal came against Jacuipense in May, so Liverpool are looking at him while he’s still making the jump from academy football.

Liverpool would need to find Belé a route into the side

REUTERS/Phil Noble

Palmeiras have used Belé centrally and out wide, which matters when you look at the players already at Anfield.

With Florian Wirtz in the squad, starting on the right could give Belé a way into the side, with room to come inside on his left foot and pick out a striker’s run.

Iraola has already shown he’ll use a young attacker in a big game, giving Rio Ngumoha a start at Fenerbahçe last week and plenty of other chances as the teenager continues to dazzle on Merseyside.

A player arriving with so little senior football behind him would still need a plan for the quieter weeks, when there’s a full squad and just one game to go round.

REUTERS/Phil Noble

There’s an argument for moving before a regular run for Palmeiras puts another few million on the price.

At around £25m, the deal makes sense if Liverpool know where Belé will get his senior minutes, and perhaps a solution could be a loan-back or loan elsewhere to hand him guaranteed action before integrating him into the side.