Liverpool are aiming to sign the Brazilian Flamengo striker with a £163million release clause

Liverpool are one of the teams keen to sign Flamengo’s teenage sensation Matheus Franca.

This comes from Brazilian outlet Torcedores. They claim the Reds are joining Crystal Palace, Newcastle United and Arsenal to ‘set their sights’ on the 19-year-old.

Arsenal are currently cited as the most interesting team. It is claimed the Gunners will be watching Franca closely in Flamengo’s Copa Libetadores clash against Atletico Nublense tonight to stay ahead of their rivals.

However, if a team wants to push him away from Flamengo without a fight, they will have to pay a pretty steep price. According to Torcedores, the teenager has a release clause of nearly £163m.

Clearly the Serie A side cannot expect anything like this from a player who has made just 43 appearances. But as the South American market among Premier League teams grows, they are hoping to get their fair share.
Liverpool look at Franca

Franca is a relatively tall striker with excellent ball control and balance. He seems to have that typical Brazilian quality of always having full control of the ball. Silky smooth and beautifully composed, he appears to have similar qualities to Liverpool’s Cody Gakpo.

As a result, we really can’t understand why the Reds pick Franca. If she was available at a good price, they might be tempted to introduce it. But with other parties in the mix and big numbers around, they clearly aren’t going to take it.

On the other hand, there have been rumors that Liverpool may try to sign a new striker this summer. With Fabio Carvalho out of favor and Roberto Firmino set to leave, there might be a place someone can fill.

With bigger names ahead of him in the pecking order, Franca could feel the benefit of relatively low pressure as he adjusts to his environment.

In any case, it could be worth it for Liverpool. They certainly regret not taking the advice to sign another former Flamengo gem – Vinicius Jr. – in 2017. Choose to say no to Blacks and Reds again and this youngster is likely to be a star elsewhere.

Also..

Analysis of 7 Liverpool midfield targets – could they ‘replace’ Jude Bellingham?

Liverpool have left the race for Jude Bellingham and are focused on signing several midfielders this summer. So which of your goals fits best?

I want Jude Bellingham. I’m sorry we don’t have Jude Bellingham. I think we should get Jude Bellingham. I hope we can find Jude Bellingham somehow.

But with Liverpool reportedly out of the running, it appears the new plan is to sign the Bellingham impact rather than Bellingham himself. How could this work?

Smarterscout – an explanation

To answer this question, I turned to Smarterscout, an analytics program that uses match data to generate player profiles.

If a player has a score of 99 out of 100 in a given statistic, it means that the chance of another player in the same position surpassing him is 1%.

With Smarterscout we get a deeper look at what a potential signing means for the team, how they play and whether they fit what Liverpool need.

Jude Bellingham

First, what does Smarterscout tell us about Bellingham? Unsurprisingly, he is good at everything. He has excellent ball control, defends perfectly and offers a goal threat.

But he’s still a man. Signing Bellingham alone would rely incredibly on Liverpool to carry the entire midfield department.

So how can Liverpool find equal value with two or three alternative players? Recreate in everything

Both defensive impact and ball retention have been problems for Liverpool’s midfield this season.

We talked about intensity without possession and Jürgen Klopp also complained about his side’s lesser ability to deliver the ball.

While there are signs of improvement with Klopp unleashing his new system, we have become a transition team this season that has been poor in both transitions.

Conor Gallagher hasn’t played enough minutes at Chelsea this season, so this is the profile of him from his breakaway loan at Crystal Palace. He is a ball carrier – although he could improve his ball guarding – and a very good disruptor of opposing attacks.

Gallagher can also make a contribution further up the field, regularly receiving the ball in the penalty area and making a large number of shots.

His link play is poor, which would be a problem when knocking down low blocks.

But for adding mobility, energy and intensity to midfield, Gallagher is perfect.

Mason Mount’s numbers confirm what we have seen: he is a dynamic and creative player, excellent at defending opponents’ attacks, as well as holding and moving the ball forward. Those numbers are from Mount’s time as a No10 rather than No8, which skews the data a bit – we’ve seen him carry the ball far more often than his profile suggests – but he’s clearly a superb talent and strong figure. for the Liverpool midfielder.

Wolves’ Matheus Nunes has been used in multiple positions under multiple managers, so his central midfield record is smaller.

But we still understand why we’re interested: he’s an above-average ball holder and linker with a Naby Keita penchant for dribbling.

His relatively low defensive intensity means he should be trained in a more aggressive style of pressing, although his defensive punching power suggests he would adapt well.

Nunes’ attacking instinct may need to be curbed to play a more disciplined midfield role in Klopp’s system – although his right boot is a bonus. Get excited about Moises Caicedo.

He has played most of his minutes as a defensive midfielder, but this is a natural home for his skills.

The Ecuadorian simply does not lose the ball, with an excellent ability to chain the game well. He is also a frequent and quality stopper of the opponent’s moves.

His ability to replicate Fabinho’s deep pass needs to be improved, but when he plays his trusty double pivot, possibly coupled with a reverse Trent Alexander-Arnold, we know he can overcome the pressure and unleash his fellow creatives. How do I caicedo? You will love Alexis MacAllister.

The second of Brighton’s double sixes is an elite possession-free midfielder who also has fantastic ball retention in both passing and dribbling.

Add to that his impressive attacking numbers from a defensive midfield position and the World Cup winner is the only option that could legitimately be a Bellingham upgrade, at least in numbers.

Combined with the vision test, this makes for Mac Allister to appear on Liverpool’s radar extremely exciting.

The oldest player on the list, Nicolo Barella, has several years in the Champions League and a 2021 Scudetto.

Basically, his retention and defensive impact are both above average, while his progressive passing rating is excellent.

But there’s something disappointing about the overall profile, as it’s a pleasure to look at and, in theory, the most proven product on the list.

He should be successful at Liverpool but Barella is probably more of a weapon in the arsenal than a silver bullet.

Former Ajax prodigy Ryan Gravenberch has struggled to impress at Bayern Munich, allowing him a move to Anfield. With stats from his last season in the Eredivisie up to Premier League standard, we can see he’s a frequent dribbler and changer, and his retention suggests he’s very good at both.

His defensive stats are only slightly above average, so an adjustment period would be needed, while his reception in the penalty area suggests he is once again a midfielder happy to contribute to the attack.

Still a young player and potentially available at a bargain price, Gravenberch would be an excellent mid-term project to complement a more suitable first-team option.

So can Liverpool “replace” Bellingham?

I don’t know enough about football funding or FSG administration policy to know what will happen to Jude Bellingham. I hope Liverpool find a way to finalize the deal in the end.

But from a purely sporting perspective, the data shows that it is possible to replicate Bellingham’s upward trend with two or three signings – and that the recruitment team have identified the right targets.

It is now up to the club executive to run the business.