£11m reported Liverpool target just named Young Player of the Year after 13-goal season

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Ricardo Pepi produced a barnstorming breakthrough season with FC Dallas, for Major League Soccer to name the Liverpool transfer target as the 2021 Young Player of the Year.

MLS announced the 18-year-old as the winner on Thursday as reward for a sublime season. He led Dallas with 13 goals and three assists in 31 games, including a first senior hat-trick.

The United States men’s national team star hit LA Galaxy for three in a 4-0 rout in July. He then made his international debut in September, and already has three goals in six games.

Pepi has even laid on three assists in his USMNT outings so far, to cement a key presence in Gregg Berhalter’s side. While his MLS exploits thrilled his fellow players, clubs and media.

He clinched the 2021 Young Player of the Year award with 39.47% of the votes from MLS club technical staff (36.4%), media (59.1%) and current players (22.9%).

Only New England Revolution’s Tajon Buchanan also earned over 3% of the total votes with 31.3%. The Club Brugge-bound winger earned 31.3% of player and 42.4% of club votes.

Pepi’s award follows a panel of MLSsoccer.com analysts, MLS Player Department staff and media naming the Dallas product and Liverpool transfer target as the top under 22 talent.

The teenager established his potential in MLS this year after tasting first-team football last term. He made 19 MLS outings in 2020 but only started four fixtures, including play-offs.

Liverpool eye transfer for Dallas’ MLS rising star Pepi

Liverpool will no doubt note Pepi’s latest accomplishment as the Premier League side eye a transfer for Dallas’ rising star. CBS recently reported that the Reds, plus Inter Milan, Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund and Ajax are all interested in the El Paso, Texas-native.

Dallas will only sell Pepi for offers of $12m-15m (£9m-11m) after rejecting Sassuolo’s bid of $8m (£6m). They will also prefer to wait until after the 2022 World Cup in Qatar to cash in.

But Pepi – whose agent, Jaime Garcia, believes is ready for Europe – wants to leave Dallas sooner. 90min also reported he has asked Dallas to sanction a transfer in the January sales.