According to reports from Mirror Football this afternoon, Liverpool scouts watched Ruben Neves in action against Maccabi Tel Aviv yesterday evening as their interest in the FC Porto prodigy intensifies.
The central midfielder, who team-mate Cristian Tello has compared to Barcelona’s formidable anchor man Sergio Busquets, is only 18 years of age but has already registered 43 senior appearances for the Dragons.
Reports earlier this month revealed Chelsea’s interest in the Portugal U21, who featured against England during the summer’s European Championship. They allegedly view him as a potential alternative to Juventus star Paul Pogba and are preparing a bid for summer 2016 – but remain unlikely to meet Neves’ £29million release clause in full.
However, Liverpool appear to be leading the pack in the race to sign the 5 foot 11 midfielder. The Anfield outfit made an ‘informal approach‘ earlier this month and had scouts present yesterday evening as Neves became the youngest ever captain in Champions League history during a 2-0 win over Maccabi Tel Aviv. He’s also the youngest ever player to feature for Portugal at U21 level.
Mirror Football claim the Reds have been tracking the Mozoles-born prospect since January and their presence last night is further evidence of their continually accelerating interest.