Liverpool have reportedly got in touch with the agent of FC Porto wonderkid Fabio Vieira as they look to sign up the youngster this summer.
According to a report from Portuguese publication Correio da Manha, Premier League heavyweights Liverpool seem to be stepping up their pursuit of 21-year-old prodigy Fabio Vieira, who plays for Liga NOS giants FC Porto.
Vieira is a product of the FC Porto youth academy. Having risen through the ranks within the club, the young attacking midfielder made his first-team debut in June last year. Since then, he has gone on to feature 37 times for the Portuguese outfit, scoring three goals and setting up two more, all of which came in the recently-concluded 2020/21 campaign.
While he did impress in his breakthrough season with Porto, his performances with the Portugal Under-21 side during the UEFA U-21 European Championships put him on the map. Vieira was one of the key cogs of the Portugal team that made it all the way to the final, where they lost to Germany Under-21. As a result, Vieira was named the Player of the tournament.
And the 21-year-old’s displays seem to have now led to strong interest from Liverpool. The Reds are facing an interesting summer after a mixed bag of a season last time out. With the signing of Ibrahima Konate, Jurgen Klopp & co. have already addressed their defence but will need reinforcements in other positions as they prepare to mount a title challenge and compete on multiple fronts.
With Georginio Wijnaldum signing for Paris Saint-Germain, Liverpool will be needing a new central midfielder while they will also be looking to scour replacements for the likes of Xherdan Shaqiri and Takumi Minamino, who have been linked with exits from the club. Vieira, to that end, can be a handy signing for the Merseyside giants given as he can play on the right flank, as a No. 10 or in the middle of the park.
What makes the 21-year-old an even more enticing prospect is that his contract with Porto expires in a year. And, as per the aforementioned report, he has turned down the club’s attempts to offer him a renewal. This development has alerted several clubs, including Liverpool, who are now said to have approached his representative Marcelo Cipriano through super-agent Pini Zahavi.
The report also mentions that Vieira has a release clause of €30 million but can leave for just €20 million, which will be a bargain for a player for his potential. Furthermore, Liverpool could further reduce the asking price for the 21-year-old by potentially offering Marko Grujic as part of the deal, with the Serbian spending the last season on loan at Porto.
It remains to be seen if Liverpool do decide to firm up their interest in Vieira and push for a move or decide to pursue alternate targets this summer.
