Liverpool and Newcastle United are reportedly interested in and chasing the signature of highly-rated Middlesbrough teenager Bilal Brahimi.
According to an exclusive report from TEAMtalk, Bilal Brahimi may not be away from Premier League football for long. The Middlesbrough teen is on the radar of Liverpool and Newcastle, who are both interested in bringing the youngster over to the top-flight of English football in the summer.
Bilal Brahimi is not a product of the Middlesbrough academy setup. The youngster join Boro in 2017 from Ledman Liga Pro outfit Leixoes and has since gone on to accumulate 13 appearances in the Premier League 2, receiving his senior debut in the EFL Cup.
Despite just 10 minutes of first-team football, Brahimi is a wanted man. Middlesbrough have failed in getting the 19-year-old locked down with a long-term contract extension. Boro’s problems have grown multiple folds, with Premier League duo Liverpool and Newcastle vying for his signature.
Bilal Brahimi is set to leave Boro in the summer, having reportedly had his head turned amid interest from Newcastle United, Liverpool and Stade Rennais.
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Liverpool are looking to reinforce their attack further, with Jurgen Klopp frustrated at the lack of credible options beyond the quartet of Xherdan Shaqiri, Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino. The puzzling fact is that the 19-year-old does not have any legible experience in top-flight football and English football at the senior level.
Newcastle’s interest makes more sense. The Magpies are always looking to strengthen their options while being constricted with the limits of their budget and could do with a low-money move for Brahimi. Rafa Benitez currently has just Matt Ritchie as a natural option for the right side of the attack, and even Ritchie is deployed largely on the left flank.
For the left side, Newcastle do have Christian Atsu and Kenedy, but the latter is set to return to Chelsea at the end of the season, when his loan deal expires. Predominantly a left winger, Brahimi’s ability to play all across the attack will be a huge asset for a team like Newcastle.
The report does state that, despite the interest from Liverpool and Newcastle, French outfit Rennes are favourites to land Brahimi. The youngster could be tempted with a return to France and it will be interesting to see where the Middlesbrough teenager ends up in the summer.
