Liverpool and Manchester United are keeping a close eye on highly-rated Preston North End youngster Felipe Rodriguez-Gentile, according to reports.
The Brazilian - who is also eligible to represent Argentina or Spain - has impressed for the Lillywhites' under-18s side so far this season and has 18 goals in his last ten appearances - including a five-goal haul against Rotherham United in the FA Youth Cup earlier this month.
According to the Mirror, the Reds along with Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur, Newcastle United and Manchester City are the Premier League clubs interested in signing Rodriguez-Gentile, who has already agreed on a two-year scholarship at Deepdale, which he will sign in the summer of 2023.
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Despite being just 16, first-team boss Ryan Lowe has already revealed his plans to introduce the Brazilian-born prodigy into Preston's senior set-up but admitted that he must protect Rodriguez-Gentile during his tender years.
"He is a good little player, isn't he? He's got some good attributes, but again, he is 16 and we've got to be careful," Lowe told LancsLive. "People probably want to get him in the squad; he will come up and train with us in some capacity very soon - when he's off school! It's mad, isn't it?
"But he is a fantastic talent and one we have to keep tabs on, which we are, of course. We get reports on all of the kids when they're performing. Again, we can't get too carried away with him and we've got to play him down a bit, but he looks like an exciting prospect for us."
Since leaving Melwood and moving to the £50m AXA Training Centre in October 2020, a site which houses both the reserves and the senior side, Liverpool have flourished in futureproofing their ranks with the additions of Ben Doak (17), Bobby Clark (17), Trent Kone-Doherty (16), Stefan Bajcetic (18) and Kaide Gordon (18).
According to LancsLive, Rodriguez-Gentile would be able to leave under the Elite Player Protection Plan rules despite having pre-agreed a two-year scholarship.
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