Lucas Pasqueta’s fine form in Brazil for Flamenga has reportedly caught the eye of Liverpool.
Liverpool missed out on the chance to sign one of the most potent attacking midfielders in European football this summer.
According to the Mail, a £53 million move for the Lyon winger Nabil Fekir appeared to be all but done with the French international agreeing a £140,000-a-week contract, only for the deal to collapse after a problem was discovered with his medical.
But could Liverpool now sign a little-known 20-year-old as an alternative to Fekir, who scored 23 goals and set up eight more for Lyon in 2017/18?
Tuttomercatoweb is reporting that Jurgen Klopp’s side are in the chase to sign Flamengo prodigy Lucas Pasqueta, although they are facing competition from Chelsea, Manchester City and AC Milan.
The eight-time Brazil U20 international is one of the most exciting young prospects in South American right now and was even included in Tite’s provisional 35-man Selecao squad ahead of the World Cup. He was the youngest player in contention for a seat on the plane to Russia.
Renowned for his creativity, dribbling skills and work rate, Pasqueta seems a good fit for Klopp’s high tempo, all-action style. And the Liverpool Echo points out that the Merseyside giants see him as an alternative to Fekir.
Liverpool will have to move fast, however, to snap up a youngster who is already establishing himself as a big game player. Pasqueta scored in the finals of both the Copa do Brazil and the Copa Sudamericana in 2017.
Fekir, however, is a player proven in the top level of European football and a World Cup winner to boot. Pasqueta has never played outside his country and there is no shortage of gifted Brazilian wonder kids who have failed to live up to their billing. Signing the man known as Lucas, then, would be a big risk.
But should Pasqueta live up to his compatriot Philippe Coutinho, he would be a huge success.
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