sábado, 13 de maio de 2017

Liverpool close in on Brazilian sensation Luan with £26m bid set to clinch deal for 'new Ronaldinho'



The Reds have been tracking the Gremio starlet for a year and are close to agreeing terms
Liverpool are on the verge of hitting Brazilian gold, with a £26m swoop for Olympics star Luan.
Manager Jurgen Klopp has spent the last year trying to team up the striker branded the 'new Ronaldinho' with his Samba stars Philippe Coutinho, Roberto Firmino and Lucas.
And sources suggest a deal is close to being agreed with the 24 year old's club Gremio - crucially, the former club of Lucas - after Luan turned down the offer of a new contract a month ago.
The Brazil international has only a year left on his current deal with the Porto Alegre team, and that has forced Gremio to talk money with several European clubs.
The player's representatives, including his business advisor Jair Peixoto and agent Gianni Losito, flew to London in April. It is understood contact was made with Anfield representatives, and terms discussed.
Liverpool head the queue after agreeing to meet the valuation of €30m, and the English club are said to be increasingly confident of landing the player, as they creep closer to qualifying for the Champions' League, which could seal the deal.
Luan has been described by Ronaldinho himself as Brazil's next star, and he confirmed his reputation by helping Brazil win Olympic gold alongside Neymar and City's Gabriel Jesus.
He scored a wonder goal in the quarter final and again in the semi, before converting his penalty in the shoot out which delivered victory over Germany in the final.
The forward can play wide of a front three or centrally as a striker or number 10, which is perfect for Klopp, who is looking for a goalscoring wide player who can fit into his fluid attacking line, and also provide an alternative to injury prone Daniel Sturridge.
Klopp is confident he can land the Brazilian...and even more confident he can team him up with Coutinho, despite persistent claims in Spain that Barcelona are ready to make a massive bid for the midfielder in the summer.
The Liverpool manager is adamant his star player is going nowhere after signing a new five year contract only at the end of January, and he joked:
"Before he signed the new contract there were rumours, after he signed the contract there were rumours. What can you do to stop the rumours? I have no idea!"
But speaking ahead of the crucial trip to West Ham on Sunday, the German coach explained that he has a firm idea that Coutinho is definitely, definitively staying.
"We spoke a lot around signing the contract. We all believe in this project. How I know it in this moment – we all want to be part of it. It is a fantastic club in a good situation, not perfect, but a good situation.
"Yes, he is now a big player for his country - but he became this player at Liverpool. He knows about this. That is what is really special about him. He really likes being here, it’s not like someone has to force him. His family really likes it too."
Klopp also suggested that his long term aim is to help Coutinho develop into a deeper lying midfielder, to bring out his creative influence...and intriguingly, allow the Reds to accommodate a different type of wide player, which Luan certain is.
"Philippe we all know how strong he can be. Can we work on different things? Yes of course. He plays, at the moment, kind of wing ‘10’ but he can also play an ‘8’," he added.
"That is possible and maybe have more influence and we can involve another player on the wing. That would make us stronger for sure, having this creativity in the middle of the park. He would have to adapt to that. He is young, full of talent and I’m pretty sure he thinks he is in the right place."
Klopp has fitness doubts about Roberto Firmino, who will have a late test on a muscle injury, and that could give Sturridge his first league start since January 2.

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