Liverpool are keen to sign the so-called ‘new Kaka’ from Sao Paulo this summer with Esporte Interativo reporting that Igor Gomes will cost in excess of £20 million.
With that floppy mop of deep brown hair, a galloping stride which belies his rangy frame and the sort of technical ability which will leave any scout worth his salt gasping for breath, the comparisons between Gomes and the 2007 Ballon D’Or winner certainly make sense.
Kaka too rose through the ranks at Sao Paulo before establishing himself as a generational great on European soil.
And while it is too soon to suggest that 21-year-old Gomes is guaranteed to follow in his footsteps, it seems only a matter of time before a Brazil U23 star who has been labelled the ‘new Kaka’ back home in South America is signing for one of the biggest clubs in the game.
Esporte claims that Liverpool have made contact with Gomes’s representatives to inquire about whether he would be interested in bringing his jogo bonito brilliance to Anfield.
An Ajax side famed for providing a platform for football’s next generation of superstars are also keen.
And, according to Yahoo, a deal for Gomes will cost more than the £20 million Ajax paid for another Brazilian wonderkid, Hakim Ziyech’s replacement Antony.
“With his age it is always going to be difficult for the team to keep him. If I say what I want, it is that he could stay as long as possible,” Sao Paulo coach Fernando Diniz told AS recently.
“He is a player of very rare quality in Brazilian football, perhaps worldwide.”
Given that the likes of Robert Lewandowski, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Marco Reus, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Mo Salah, Sadio Mane and more have all become footballing superstars under the bear-hugging, barnstorming Jurgen Klopp, perhaps Anfield could be the ideal destination for Gomes to unlock his potential.
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