Liverpool may be weighing up their options after learning Flamengo could be open to selling talented prospect Joao Gomes next summer.
The Brazilian midfielder has been attracting admiring glances from the Premier League, with Manchester United believed to be one of the clubs keeping tabs. But it is a move to Anfield with United's north west rivals Liverpool which would be the ideal scenario for Gomes after he recently pledged his ambition to play for the Merseyside club.
“ Liverpool are a team I’d play for. I have the greatest desire to play. Playing in the Champions League is my biggest dream and that of my family, my biggest dream in football," he said in a Q&A on social media recently. Still only 21, Gomes is already an established regular in Flamengo's lineup having played more than 100 times for the club, and with Jurgen Klopp keen on signing some midfield reinforcements, a move may not be out of the question.
Despite Gomes' public admission, Flamengo's vice-president Marcos Braz has denied receiving any enquiries regarding the highly-rated player; but also conceded he may not be in a position to turn down any suitable offers were they to come forward in the coming months.
Talking to ESPN Brasil, Braz said: “There was no proposal for João Gomes, there was no consultation for him. So, it’s a lot of lies that have been propagated about João Gomes since the beginning of these renewal issues.
"But if you ask me if next year, in the middle of the year, I think there will be something, I’ll say: ‘I think’. Due to the size of the player, for what he has become, for being a player, today, Flamengo’s starter.
"So, it’s natural for the market out there to pass a magnifying glass over this player, but there’s nothing. We are very happy and I am absolutely sure that he is very happy with the Flamengo board.”
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It is unclear whether Liverpool have any real interest in Gomes as things stand, and it would likely take a sizeable offer for Flamengo to consider letting him go, particularly given his contract does not expire until 2027. Liverpool have a strong South American contingent in their side already, though Gomes is yet to make his debut for Brazil.
ESPN claim United sent scouts to watch Gomes last season, though were more impressed by one of their former players, Andreas Pereira, who they had loaned to Flamengo at the time.
Reports suggest Liverpool seem more intent on prioritising a move for Jude Bellingham next summer in what could end up being a record deal for a British player. The Athletic report Borussia Dortmund value the 19-year-old at €150m (£131.6m) and are under no pressure to sell him anytime soon.
Klopp moved to sign Arthur Melo on loan from Juventus prior to the transfer deadline with Liverpool holding an option to buy the midfielder next summer, though it is thought the Reds' boss does not consider him to be a long-term option.
