Liverpool are reportedly the latest club to have shown an interest in signing 18-year-old American prodigy Ricardo Pepi from FC Dallas.
According to a report by American outlet CBS Sports, the race to sign Ricardo Pepi from FC Dallas is intensifying with each passing day. The latest club to have entered the chase for the 18-year-old prodigy are Liverpool, with the likes of Inter Milan, Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund and Ajax also courting him while VfL Wolfsburg have agreed personal terms with him already.
Ricardo Pepi has been with the FC Dallas setup since 2016 and spent a year or so playing first-team football for their affiliate club North Texas SC before making his senior debut for his parent team on June 22, 2019 aged just 16. Since then, the American prodigy has come leaps and bounds, becoming a key figure for Dallas despite still being in his teens.
The 2021 season has been a strong one for Pepi, who has 13 goals and two assists in 27 appearances in the Major League Soccer. The 18-year-old, though, is now facing an uncertain future at the Toyota Stadium, with widespread reports suggesting that he could be on his way to Europe in the January transfer window. And Liverpool have now joined the race to sign Pepi.
Liverpool have one of the most formidable attacking units in the world already, particularly when Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino are on song as well in addition to the ever-consistent Mohamed Salah. However, it is worth noting that Firmino is also 30 while Mane and Salah will have turned 30 themselves by the time the 2021/22 season ends.
So, perhaps it is time for Liverpool to start laying down the succession plan for the trio, with one component already in place in the form of Diogo Jota. However, with Divock Origi only a backup option for Jurgen Klopp and likely to be offloaded in January amid interest from Barcelona, it will be prudent of the Reds to bring in a young striker.
To that end, Liverpool have been linked with several attackers including Robert Lewandowski, with Pepi a viable target as well, as he can progress under the wings of Firmino before succeeding the Brazilian international in the years to come. However, a host of clubs from Europe are tailing the 18-year-old American prodigy, with Inter Milan, Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund and Ajax all interested.
In addition, it has been reported that VfL Wolfsburg have already agreed personal terms with him. Dallas, for their part, are trying to keep hold of Pepi beyond the January transfer window. However, with the race to sign the prodigious attacker heating up, it remains to be seen if they can succeed. If not, it will be interesting to see whether Liverpool can swoop him away from the Toyota Stadium.
