Benfica – The Empire of The Kop

Liverpool join transfer race for 19y/o ‘laboratory weapon’; release clause could hit £128m – report

Liam Togher — Mon, 01 Apr 2024 13:34:20 +0000

According to reports from Portugal, Liverpool have thrown their name into the ring for a highly coveted teenage talent.

The print edition of O Jogo claimed (via Sport Witness) that the Reds have ‘joined the race’ to sign Benfica midfielder Joao Neves, who’s also been linked with Manchester United, Chelsea, Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain.

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The 19-year-old currently has a release clause of €120m (£103m) in his contract at the Estadio da Luz, although his employers are reportedly seeking to increase this by 25% to an eye-watering €150m (£128m).

There’s no mention of offers being tabled or even talks being entered into in the report, so the interest appears to be at a preliminary stage.

O Jogo’s report described Neves as a ‘laboratory weapon’, such is his burgeoning talent, and a closer look at his performance metrics would suggest that he already boasts a phenomenal skill set.

As per FBref, he ranks among the top 20% of midfielders in Europe over the past year for a range of attributes, most notably passes attempted (79.7 per match, 98th percentile), blocks made (two per game, 97th percentile), tackles won (three per match, 92nd percentile) and pass completion (88%, 91st percentile).

The teenager has already played 66 times for Benfica’s first team (Transfermarkt), and he could potentially line out against Liverpool in a few weeks’ time if both sides come through their respective Europa League quarter-finals, which’d then see them come face-to-face in the last four of the tournament.

There’s the potential for an intriguing narrative if the Reds are to appoint Sporting Lisbon boss Ruben Amorim as their next manager, and he in turn raids his current club’s arch-rivals for the precocious Neves.

While any transfer for the 19-year-old won’t materialise for some time yet, his name could be well worth keeping an eye on during the run-in to this season, especially if he finds himself playing at Anfield in a European semi-final in four weeks’ time.

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Cost 63% more than Endo: Liverpool may have dodged a big bullet over 2023 transfer target

Liam Togher — Tue, 19 Mar 2024 11:30:38 +0000

Midfield was the primary focus of Liverpool’s summer 2023 transfer window, with five outgoings and four incoming in that position during the market.

Among those who came to Anfield was Wataru Endo, a £16m acquisition from Stuttgart. Meanwhile, one of the heavily linked targets who didn’t end up on Merseyside was Orkun Kokcu, who was ‘high on the agenda’ for the Reds at one point before ultimately joining Benfica from Feyenoord in a €30m (£26m) move.

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However, the 23-year-old now find himself in the dock at the Estadio da Luz after giving an interview to De Telegraaf in which he complained about Roger Schmidt playing him in a defensive midfield role.

The Lisbon club’s manager promptly hit back, saying (via Fabrizio Romano on X): “If you do that kind of interview, you can’t be part of the team. Impossible. I didn’t speak to the player yet, but I’ll tell him that he did something absolutely negative for club, team and especially for himself.”

Benfica manger Schmidt on Kökçü saying he's unhappy: "If you do that kind of interview, you can't be part of the team. Impossible".

"I didn't speak to the player yet, but I'll tell him that he did something absolutely negative for club, team and especially for himself". pic.twitter.com/s3wzZrnjEW

— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) March 18, 2024

In light of Kokcu’s public grievances about his playing position, Liverpool chiefs may well think they’ve dodged a bullet by the Turkey international joining Benfica last summer.

While the 23-year-old has sometimes played in a number 10 role, he’s primarily a central midfielder but has returned just three goals from 34 appearances this season. Coincidentally, both tallies match Endo’s output for 2023/24 thus far (Transfermarkt).

That’s despite the Japan captain lining out solely at the base of midfield, with his first task being to break up opposition attacks and provide a solid anchor in front of the back four. It’s a role in which he’s excelled ever since coming to Anfield seven months ago.

It’s certainly hard to envisage him publicly griping about how Jurgen Klopp deploys him, in stark contrast to Kokcu, who’ll have some grovelling to do if he’s to get back in Schmidt’s good books.

Benfica paid 63% more for the Turkish midfielder than Liverpool forked out for Endo. Based on how their respective seasons have gone so far, it’s clear that the latter transfer has worked out so much better, which’ll be to the great relief of Reds supporters.

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14 duels won, stoppage time goal: Liverpool scouts will love what they saw from 19y/o on Sunday

Liam Togher — Tue, 14 Nov 2023 11:19:11 +0000

Liverpool had scouts present at one of the biggest fixtures in European football over the weekend, and they’d have been hugely impressed by what they witnessed from the man on whom they were reporting.

According to 90min, the Reds were among more than a dozen clubs who sent a delegation to the Estadio da Luiz for the Lisbon derby between Benfica and Sporting CP to keep tabs on Joao Neves, who made a telling impact on an extraordinary finale to the top-of-the-table Liga Portugal clash.

The home side were trailing 1-0 when, four minutes into stoppage time, the 19-year-old netted the equaliser – and there was still time for Casper Tengstedt to complete an extraordinary turnaround with his last-gasp winner.

The equalising goal was obviously Neves’ standout contribution during a dramatic derby, but he’d already made a huge impression well before that 94th-minute intervention.

The midfielder earned the highest Sofascore rating of any player on the pitch with 8.5, showcasing his ability on the ball by completing 45 of his 50 passes (90% success rate) and four of his six dribbles, the most of any Benfica player.

However, it was his work out of possession which truly caught the eye. A haul of seven tackles and four interceptions would be quite praiseworthy on its own, but even those numbers were eclipsed by him winning an incredible 14 duels, giving a powerhouse display in the middle of the park.

With some questions still remaining about Liverpool’s defensive midfield options despite their summer revamp, Neves did everything he possibly could to catch the eye of the scouts from Merseyside on Sunday.

It wasn’t a lucky one-off performance, either. As per FBref, the 19-year-old ranks among the top 1% of positional peers in Europe for blocks, top 2% for passes attempted, top 4% for tackles and top 11% for aerial duels won and successful take-ons per 90 minutes.

Even at such a young age, the Benfica starlet already looks like a complete footballer. However, if the Reds are serious about trying to sign him, time could be of the essence, as the myriad other clubs who were watching him at the weekend could make their move with haste.

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Liverpool dealt transfer blow by £103.6m history maker who’s wowed former Anfield ace – report

Liam Togher — Mon, 09 Oct 2023 19:56:14 +0000

Liverpool are set to be dealt a blow in their hopes of signing one transfer target, according to reports from Portugal.

Record have claimed (via Sport Witness) that despite Antonio Silva welcoming interest from the Reds, he has no desire to move to the Premier League, instead setting his sights on fulfilling his dream to become captain of Benfica.

The centre-back – who has a €120m (£103.6m) release clause in his contract at the Estadio da Luz – is in no hurry to leave his current club, and it’s also understood that he views fellow suitors Real Madrid as ‘the greatest club in Europe’.

Silva made Portuguese football history at last year’s World Cup when he became the youngest-ever player to represent his nation at the tournament in their 2-1 group stage defeat to South Korea (Jornal de Noticias).

The 19-year-old has also made a big impression on one former Liverpool defender in Abel Xavier, who’s spoken highly of the teenager’s ‘security, maturity, vision of the game, assertiveness [and] aggressiveness’ and has backed him to become a future captain of Benfica (Record).

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The youngster marries astute ball distribution with a no-nonsense defensive mindset – as per FBref, he ranks among the top 1% of positional peers in Europe for pass completion (91.6%) and the top 8% for tackles won per game (2.17).

His astronomical release clause speaks volumes for just how highly he’s regarded at the Estadio da Luz, and as seen with the £106.8m sale of Enzo Fernandez to Chelsea earlier this year (Sky Sports), the Lisbon club certainly know how to drive a tidy profit on players.

It’s a pity that a player of Silva’s undoubted quality and potential doesn’t seem interested in joining Liverpool, although the early weeks of the season have suggested that there may be a long-term in-house option brewing in the very capable Jarell Quansah.

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Neil Jones shares what former coach of potential ‘Fabinho replacement’ told him about the player

Liam Togher — Mon, 17 Jul 2023 19:05:46 +0000

Neil Jones has shared what he was told about Florentino Luis by one of the player’s former coaches.

The Benfica midfielder was recently namechecked by the journalist as someone to ‘look out for’ in terms of possible replacements for Fabinho at Liverpool, should the Brazilian depart for Al-Ittihad.

The reporter even cited the 23-year-old as ‘a very Fabinho-type player’ in terms of his attributes on the pitch, and the verdict from Joao Tralhao – his one-time youth coach at the Lisbon club – suggests that he’d be a fine successor to the Reds’ current number 3.

In his latest Empire of the Kop Substack column, Jones said of Florentino: “From what I’ve seen of him and what I know, his defensive work is huge – he gets good numbers in interceptions, tackles, breaking up play, winning possession. It’s scary. I think he’s right up with the best in Europe in the Champions League and top five leagues.

“Style-wise, if you’re looking at a Fabinho replacement and you’re wanting a Fabinho, the size of him, the type of player he is, the position he plays… Joao Tralhao, who I spoke to for a piece, said to me ‘I do think he has the ceiling to be one of these top midfield players’.”

The journalist added that the 23-year-old is someone who Liverpool ‘have definitely looked at’ previously.

Although there don’t appear to be any live links to Anfield with Florentino at the moment, the Reds are thought to have scouted him at Benfica matches earlier this year.

As Jones mentioned, the midfielder boasts some highly impressive statistical returns, as evidenced by figures from FBref.

He ranks among the top 4% of positional peers in Europe over the past year for a number of core metrics such as tackles (3.48), interceptions (2.67) and completed passes (78.79) per match, as well as pass completion (89.7% accuracy).

While the quantitative information paints an encouraging picture, the glowing assessment from a coach in Tralhao who worked with Florentino as a teenager adds further weight to his CV in terms of a potential defensive midfield target for Liverpool to consider this summer.

He started all 10 of Benfica’s matches in their run to the Champions League quarter-finals last season (Transfermarkt), marking him out as a central figure in one of Europe’s leading teams, and as a player who’s had plenty of exposure already to the highest level in club football.

The 23-year-old certainly appears to be someone the Reds ought to be contemplating seriously as a prospective replacement for Fabinho at Anfield, especially if the Brazil international leaves for Saudi Arabia in the near future.

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Liverpool were close to signing 22y/o who ignored Reds’ pleas; they missed big deadline – report

Liam Togher — Thu, 22 Jun 2023 15:27:40 +0000

According to reports from Netherlands, Liverpool had been ‘close to’ signing Orkun Kokcu from Feyenoord in recent weeks, only to miss a deadline imposed on them by his management.

Dutch outlet 1908.nl claimed that the Reds weren’t far away from securing a deal for the 22-year-old and had even asked him not to sign with Benfica.

However, after a deadline was set by the player’s representatives for the Merseysiders to submit a bid to the Eredivisie champions, they failed to present one by the specified cut-off point, much to the dismay of intermediaries such as Fulco van Kooperen, who had been working on the potential transfer.

Kokcu swiftly elected to join the Lisbon giants instead, seeing the Estadio da Luz as the ideal next step in his career, with a last-gasp hijack attempt from Brighton at the Portuguese capital city’s airport proving futile.

If indeed Liverpool had been quite close to securing a deal for the Turkey international, only to miss out because they dallied in submitting an offer to Feyenoord for him, it’ll duly come as a disappointment that they failed to push harder to try and get it done.

There’s no guarantee they’d have succeeded if they had been quicker off the mark if the player’s mind was already made up on a move to Benfica, but it still leaves a sense of ‘what if’ from a Reds perspective.

Perhaps there were some factors behind the scenes which delayed the presentation of an offer beyond the deadline imposed by Kokcu’s management, but nonetheless it didn’t come quickly enough to prevent the Portuguese champions from getting the business done at their end.

Having scored 12 times for Feyenoord last season as they went on to win a first Eredivisie title in seven years (Transfermarkt), the 22-year-old could’ve offered a potent presence in Liverpool’s midfield had the Merseysiders managed to lure him.

Alas, that ship has now sailed, so the Anfield hierarchy must simply move on from this ‘what could have been’ and instead concentrate solely on transfer targets who may still be attainable, ensuring that they work swiftly to avoid missing out on other prospective purchases.

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Klopp ‘charmed’ by title-winning captain on Liverpool’s radar; UCL club desperate to stop Anfield move

Liam Togher — Thu, 08 Jun 2023 15:54:22 +0000

According to reports from Netherlands, Jurgen Klopp is believed to be ‘charmed’ by one alleged Liverpool transfer target, although a fellow suitor seem desperate to stop him moving to Anfield.

De Telegraaf reported (via TEAMtalk) that the Reds manager is very keen on a potential summer move for Orkun Kokcu, with the Merseysiders seemingly in pole position to sign the Feyenoord captain, having already made contact.

However, Portuguese title winners Benfica are understood to be so eager to prevent the 22-year-old from joining LFC – or any other club – that they’re ready to submit a €30m (£25.8m) offer to the Eredivisie champions (via Sport Witness).

That mightn’t be enough, as the Rotterdam outfit supposedly want at least €40m (£34.4m) for their skipper.

It isn’t hard to see why the Lisbon side are seemingly so desperate to prevent Liverpool from getting their hands on Kokcu, who scored 12 goals from central midfield in all competitions this season (albeit that five were penalties, as per Transfermarkt).

Even with the spot kicks omitted, though, that’s still a quite impressive return from someone who doesn’t feature as a forward or even a number 10, while to captain Feyenoord to Eredivisie glory at just 22 hints at strong leadership traits.

Speaking exclusively with Empire of the Kop earlier this week, Jacque Talbot said the Turkey international is ‘liked’ by the Reds and ‘one to keep an eye on’, though he also hinted that it’s a prospective transfer which could take ‘a few weeks’ to materialise rather than being done with haste.

There are other midfield targets in Liverpool’s radar who may take precedence, although if Jorg Schmadtke and co were to focus primarily on some of those, it may give Benfica an opportunity to pounce for Kokcu.

It could come down to how quickly the Anfield hierarchy can act, and also whether Klopp wants the 22-year-old as part of his squad so fervently that he’d push them to move for the Feyenoord skipper.

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Liverpool given firm message as to what it’ll take to sign 19y/o touted to be future ‘legend’ – report

Liam Togher — Mon, 03 Apr 2023 20:38:53 +0000

Liverpool have been given a firm message as to what it’ll take for them to sign Portuguese defender Antonio Silva.

It was reported by 90min last month that the Anfield club sent scouts to watch the Benfica gem in action for his club, with Tottenham believed to have done likewise. However, if either Premier League side wants to land the 19-year-old, they can expect to pay top dollar to get the deal done.

According to A Bola on Sunday [via Sport Witness], the Lisbon outfit will insist for any prospective suitors to meet his €100m (£88m) release clause if they’re to bring him away from the Estadio da Luz.

Benfica are experts at recouping eye-watering transfer fees when selling their top talents.

Liverpool will attest to that, having stumped up an initial £64m – potentially rising to £85m (BBC Sport) – for Darwin Nunez last summer. Even that was dwarfed by the British record signing of Enzo Fernandez, who joined Chelsea in January for £107m (Sky Sports).

It should therefore come as no surprise that they believe they can land another massive payday if they sell Silva, who’s enjoyed a remarkable rise over the past year.

Having only made his senior club debut last August (Transfermarkt), he earned a place in Portugal’s World Cup squad, becoming his nation’s youngest-ever player in the tournament when he featured in their group game against South Korea (90min).

He’s especially composed in possession, ranking among the top 1% of centre-backs outside of Europe’s big five leagues for pass completion (91.6%) since April 2022 (FBref).

He’s also earned high praise from former Benfica teammate Jan Vertonghen, who backed the teenager to become ‘a legend’ in the future based on what he’s shown so far (CNN Portugal, via talkSPORT).

As talented a player as he may seem, though, Silva is vastly overpriced at £88m, particularly considering that he’d never played at first team level until eight months ago and is valued at a rather more modest €28.6m (£25.1m) by Football Transfers.

With Liverpool also likely to be planning a midfield rebuild this summer, they mightn’t have the leftover funds to put towards a pricey move for the Benfica defender.

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Liverpool have met with 18-year-old attacker’s representatives ahead of a possible £12.5 million move – report

Peter Kenny Jones — Wed, 11 Jan 2023 14:44:13 +0000

It appears to be widely believed now that Liverpool are not going to be making any more signings in January but the capture of Cody Gakpo shows that we are always actively looking for a deal that could be too good to resist.

One such target may have been highlighted with TV2 reporting: ‘Liverpool and Brentford have presented specific projects to Schjelderup’s representatives’.

Andreas Schjelderup is certainly not a name that many in England will be fully aware of but the 18-year-old is making a name for himself in Norway and could be available for around 150 million Norwegian krone (around £12.5 million).

Operating mainly on the left-wing, the Norwegian Under-21 international has also played as a striker and attacking midfielder this season for FC Nordsjaelland, with 10 goals and one assist in his 17 Superligaen appearances.

There is a huge jump from the standard that the teenager is currently playing at, should he make a move to the Premier League but by looking at the current performances from Martin Odegaard – there’s room to be patient in the hope of another star.

If the report is to be believed though, it seems like he is now destined for Benfica and so we either have a decision to try and hijack the deal or wait to see if his next step up the footballing ladder could be Anfield in a few years time.

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Benfica reject €100m bid for Liverpool-linked Enzo Fernandez – report

Peter Kenny Jones — Fri, 23 Dec 2022 15:52:45 +0000

Liverpool supporters may not have been too aware of links between the club and Enzo Fernandez before the start of the World Cup but since the events in Qatar, the Argentine has very much been on the radar of many.

There had been some outlets reporting that the Reds had agreed a deal with Benfica for the player but it seems that these stories were wide of the mark, although a bid could have been made.

As reported by Record (via BBC Sport): ‘Benfica have turned down a 100m euro (£88m) bid from an unnamed club for Argentina midfielder Enzo Fernandez, who has been linked again with the Reds and Real, and the Portuguese club will not sell for below the 21-year-old’s 120m euro (£106m) release clause’.

Having been awarded the best young player in the tournament where his nation came out victorious, the 21-year-old will be on the watchlist of many clubs around the world and so the bid really could have come from anyone.

With the former River Plate midfielder only joining his new club this summer, there’s no real need to rush a sale on their front unless there’s a bid that meets the release clause.

That’s not just because that’s when they would have to sell the player but with four-and-a-half years remaining on his contract, there’s little need to cash in just yet and they can still benefit from his performances on the field.

Whether an Anfield move proves to be his final destination, this looks to be a story that will also rumble on for many months.

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‘We will have to see’ – Update on Enzo Fernandez’s reported ‘pre-agreement with Liverpool’

Peter Kenny Jones — Mon, 12 Dec 2022 09:58:52 +0000

Liverpool have been linked with many players at this year’s World Cup but one name that has perhaps had the most advanced talks reported about them is Enzo Fernandez, with some outlets claiming that he has reached an agreement with our club.

As reported by Diario AS though, this may not be the case: ‘ The midfielder is being one of the proper names of #ARG in this World Cup, which has made many powerful people set their eyes on him.

‘ The Portuguese press assures that he already has a pre-agreement with Liverpool… we will have to see what Benfica, his current club, thinks…’

The Benfica man only arrived in the summer and to have reached a pre-agreement with another club just four months into his contract and whilst participating in a World Cup in Qatar – seems unlikely.

Despite missing a penalty for his nation, Argentina were still able to progress to the semi-finals and so the 21-year-old will be hoping that he can add to his tally of five appearances, one assist and one goal in the tournament so far.

With four-and-a-half years remaining on his deal with the Portuguese club, it’s not going to be likely that a fee can be agreed for a small price and impressive performances during this winter’s competition will only raise that further.

If the Darwin Nunez negotiations are anything to go by too, for us to have reached a pre-agreement would only entail a deal that includes a lot more money that we would be expected to spend on the midfielder.

You can view the Fernandez update via @diarioas on Twitter:

El volante está siendo uno de los nombres propios de #ARG en este Mundial, lo que ha hecho que muchos poderosos pongan sus ojos en él

La prensa portuguesa asegura que con el Liverpool ya tiene hasta un preacuerdo… habrá que ver qué opina el Benfica, su actual club… pic.twitter.com/p9QAdyL8YW

— Diario AS (@diarioas) December 12, 2022

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Liverpool reportedly reach ‘pre agreement’ with Enzo Fernandez

Peter Kenny Jones — Sat, 10 Dec 2022 11:51:42 +0000

Liverpool supporters may well have eyes on several midfielders at this year’s World Cup and it appears that there is now another name in which we may made bigger steps towards agreeing a possible deal – in Enzo Fernandez.

As reported by Portuguese news outlet Report (via @DaveOCKOP): ‘Liverpool have made contact with Benfica for Enzo Fernandez. They also speak about talk in Spain of a possible pre agreement with Liverpool’.

The 21-year-old has registered five appearances and recorded one goal for Argentina in Qatar and has helped them reach the World Cup semi-finals, operating impressively in the centre of the pitch.

Despite only signing for Benfica in the past summer, there have already been plenty of rumours linking ourselves with the man that still has four-and-a-half years remaining on his current deal.

Because of the raised profile due to his performances on the greatest international stage and the length of contract remaining, nevermind the fees we know that are required after signing Darwin Nunez from the same team, this certainly isn’t going to be a cheap deal to get over the line.

However, the source of these rumours being one that was so trustworthy when our Uruguayan forward moved to Anfield, means that we may need to pay a little attention to see how this story progresses.

You can view the Tweet about Fernandez via @DaveOCKOP:

NEW: @Record_Portugal who broke the Darwin Nunez to Liverpool news have said that Liverpool have made contact with Benfica for Enzo Fernandez. They also speak about talk in Spain of a possible pre agreement with Liverpool.https://t.co/vXJvsHXJIx

— DaveOCKOP (@DaveOCKOP) December 10, 2022

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(Video) Reported Liverpool target Enzo Fernandez’s highlights for Argentina

Peter Kenny Jones — Mon, 28 Nov 2022 10:48:21 +0000

Liverpool have seemingly been linked with half of the players at this year’s World Cup but one of the possible recruits caught the eye in his goal-scoring display for Argentina and Enzo Fernandez is a name of many of our supporters’ lips.

Having been linked with ourselves by SPORT, the Benfica man will have been marked as one to watch by many fans in this tournament and his performance off the bench against Mexico certainly did him no harm.

Having joined the Portuguese club in the summer, it certainly won’t be a small transfer fee for the 21-year-old but he could be a midfield option we explore in the summer.

The issue here is though that the better his performances in Qatar, the larger his transfer fee is likely to become.

You can watch the video of Fernandez’s Argentina highlights via 899k on YouTube:

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(Video) The first meeting of Salah and Nunez revisited in poignant moment

Peter Kenny Jones — Fri, 25 Nov 2022 16:00:53 +0000

Liverpool supporters are smitten by our two attacking heroes, Mo Salah and Darwin Nunez, so revisiting the moment that the pair first encountered each other is certainly worth doing.

During last year’s Champions League tie between Benfica and ourselves, there was a moment in the second-half when the Egyptian King helped the opposition No.9 to his feet.

Little did the pair know at the time that they were going to be teammates next season but it showed the kind nature of our No.11 in this moment.

The Reds went on to win the tie but the Uruguayan impressed our staff enough for us to break the bank and bring him to Anfield this summer.

You can watch the video of Salah and Nunez via @Salah439529861 (and courtesy of Super Sport) on Twitter:

pic.twitter.com/YiCcH563jb

— follow@fcsalah11 (@Salah439529861) November 24, 2022

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Liverpool are ‘not ruling out a move’ for 21-year-old Benfica star with ‘£106.5m release clause’ – report

Peter Kenny Jones — Wed, 28 Sep 2022 15:40:58 +0000

Liverpool spent a lot of money on a young Benfica star last summer and now, just a matter of months later, the Reds have been linked with doing the same once again.

As reported by O Jogo (via BBC Sport): ‘Liverpool are not ruling out a move for Benfica’s Argentina midfielder Enzo Fernandez, 21, who has a reported 120m euros (£106.5m) release clause in his contract’.

The Portuguese source proved rather reliable in breaking news for the Darwin Nunez deal that was completed in the summer and so there may be a degree of reliability in this reported interest.

The 21-year-old only signed for Benfica this season, so it does seem very premature to already be linking him with a move away from the Portuguese club.

With only a goal from his first seven league appearances, we’ll have to wait and see what the Argentine midfielder can do in his maiden campaign in Europe.

We’re set to be linked with so many different midfielders in the coming months and it’s hard to know which headlines can and can’t be believed.

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With a reported release clause of £106.5 million too, we’d have to be very sure that the former River Plate man was the ideal player for our midfield.

As we are so heavily linked with Jude Bellingham, it seems very unlikely that FSG could finance a move for both players and so we’ll have to wait and see what happens on this one.

EOTK Insider Opinion: 70% of Liverpool fans suspect he’s fallen out with Liverpool but… What is going on with Naby Keita?

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