Premier League leaders Liverpool are battling Serie A champions Juventus to sign Toulouse left-back Mathieu Goncalves in January.
Toulouse are expected to demand in excess of £8.5 million for Mathieu Goncalves with Liverpool battling Juventus to sign the teenage left-back, according to Calciomercato.
Toulouse’s academy might not enjoy the attention or the praise afforded to those of Manchester United, Barcelona or even Sporting Lisbon, but there is no shortage of top-level players who have risen through the ranks at the club currently bottom of France’s top flight.
And Goncalves already looks set to follow in the footsteps of Issa Diop, Moussa Sissoko, Jean-Clair Todibo and Etienne Capoue.
The Paris-born 18-year-old has been a ray of positivity in a nightmare season for Toulouse though reports suggest that he is unlikely to plying his trade for Les Violets for much longer.
L’Equipe stated last week that Jurgen Klopp’s world champions are looking to snap up yet another exciting teenager, having brought Sepp Van der Berg and Harvey Elliott to Anfield over the summer, and Calciomercato have now backed up these claims.
The report claims that Juventus, who tried and failed to sign Tobido and Alban Lafont from Toulouse before they joined Barcelona and Fiorentina respectively, have opened talks though the Ligue 1 side are expected to raise far more than the starting bid of £4.2 million.
It will take a fee closer to £8.5 million to land Goncalves, though that is hardly an eye-watering fee in this day and age. And with Liverpool lacking any real cover for Andy Robertson at left-back, except the ever-adaptable James Milner of course, he is an £8.5 million risk worth taking.
After landing Takumi Minamino for a bargain £7.5 million, this could be another inspired addition from the kings of the transfer market.
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