Liverpool risk another Tchouameni scenario as Real Madrid prepare move

Liverpool could be running the risk of losing out on another one of their priority transfer targets to Real Madrid, who pipped the Reds to the signing of Aurelien Tchouameni over the summer. The Reds admired the Frenchman from a distance for several years but ended up falling short in the battle to secure his signature, with Real Madrid wasting no time in bringing him to the Bernabeu instead of Anfield earlier this year.

Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp reportedly spoke to Tchouameni on a number of occasions to try and convince him to join the Reds, but the German manager’s efforts were ultimately in vain. The Merseyside giants have since taken a keen interest in Palmeiras starlet Endrick, who is making plenty of waves in South America, but could seemingly risk losing out at the hands of Real Madrid once again.

The 16-year-old playmaker is being targeted by both clubs, although Real Madrid may have edged ahead of Liverpool in the race to snap him up, according to Marca. It is said that Los Blancos are ready to submit a bid in the region of £35million in exchange for Endrick, who became the youngest scorer in the history of Palmeiras with a brace against Athletico Paranaense earlier this week.

The likes of Manchester United, Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain have also been credited with a desire to land Endrick, which suggests that Liverpool will be up against no shortage of stiff competition when the bidding opens at some point in the not-too-distant future. Palmeiras will undoubtedly be reluctant to sell for anything less for a premium fee, though, with Mundo Deportivo having claimed that he has already been valued at around £62million by his current employers.

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Real Madrid also have a proven track record of developing the best young stars from South America, with Vinicius Junior one of several players to have been poached from the region by the Spanish giants over the last few years. However, it remains to be seen which club will end up winning the race to sign Endrick, who has been widely tipped to emerge as Brazil’s next great footballing hope if he continues to advance on an upward trajectory.

He has already been compared to the likes of Neymar and Pele by ex-Flamengo ace Renato Mauricio Prado, who believes that he should be considered for a place in the Brazil squad for this year’s World Cup in Qatar.

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“I also took [Endrick] because he’s looking like it, everything indicates that he’s going to be a phenomenon, he’s going to be a phenomenon like Neymar and like other players that Brazilian football has had.” said Prado earlier this year.

“It’s always good to remember that, at the age of 15, Pele was already playing for Santos’ professional team and at 16 he was world champion.”

Endrick has already chipped in with six goals in seven games for Palmeiras under-20s so far this season and has managed to score six times in just five appearances at under-17 level for Brazil. He is yet to receive a senior debut for the Selecao but will surely be on their radar if he keeps improving as expected, while a high-profile move to one of Europe’s biggest hitters would also do no harm at all to his ambitions of becoming an international star.

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