Liverpool are supposedly wising up to the opportunities of finding top talent in South America.
The Reds have been a little slow on the uptake when it comes to highlighting and signing players directly from the continent.
However, having been linked with the likes of Andre Trindade, to name one example, over recent months, it seems that the penny is starting to drop.
Another indication that Liverpool have actually been doing this for a while came from Real Madrid forward Rodrygo Goes this week. The 23-year-old claimed that he actually had an offer on the table from the Reds when he left Santos for Europe in 2019.
FSG are also of course currently looking to acquire club, where they’d reportedly park high profile young players on the way to signing for Liverpool. So, bearing all of this in mind, it should come as no surprise to see the Reds linked with another of Brazil’s burgeoning stars.
Liverpool scouting Pedro Lima
The player in question here is 17-year-old Pedro Lima. Playing with second division side Sport Recife, Lima has already broken through into the first-team.
And according to Brazilian outlet Globo, the youngster’s displays have caught the eye of some of the biggest clubs around.
The bulk of their piece this week is actually centred around interest in Lima from Manchester City. The Premier League champions’ scout, Audrio Magalhaes, reportedly watched the right-back in action for Recifie during a game on Saturday.
Interestingly, and perhaps ominously for any other interested parties, Magalhaes reportedly watched the game in the company of Lima’s agent.
Nevertheless, it’s apparently not the first time talent-spotters employed by English clubs have been bound for Recife recently. It’s claimed that both Liverpool and Chelsea have sent ‘recruiters’ to watch Lima over recent months.
All of this activity has reportedly led to ‘expectation’ from the player’s representatives that a concrete offer for Lima will arrive from Europe in the near future.
Who is Pedro Lima
Pedro Lima is brand new on the scene in Brazil, having only made his debut for Recife back in January.
Since then, the full-back has gone on to appear sporadically for his club as they gear up for the season proper to start.
At 17, Lima is obviously incredibly young to be tasting senior football. But like the best Brazilian talents, he already seems to be fitting in.
As an U17 international for his country, it may not be long before we see him start to move up the age groups. Even if he doesn’t end up at Liverpool, Lima looks like one to keep an eye on.