Liverpool are expected to secure the capture of Sporting CP youngster Andre Cardoso this summer when his contract in Portugal comes to an end, according to Record.
The Portuguese publication claim on their website that the 18-year-old centre forward, who is an under-16 international for Portugal, is out of contract next month and will not remain with Sporting, with Jornal de Madeira claiming that a number of clubs are keen on the promising forward.
Instead it is stated the young gem looks set to head to Anfield to continue his fledgling career having helped Sporting’s youth side finish second in their division this season.
Liverpool’s reported pursuit of the exciting youngster extends back to when he was a 16-year-old, with Record reporting that they were chasing his capture but that he had a £39million (€45million) release clause in his professional contract.
Opinion
Liverpool are always on the look out for the next big thing and it seems as though they are willing to take a gamble on Cardoso and his development as a footballer – although with that sort of clause in his contract you can see that Sporting saw him as something special. There are some youngsters out there who are already playing regular first team football as an 18-year-old but Cardoso seems to have been left to get on with his job at youth level. He will not be expected to act as cover for the likes of Roberto Firmino and Sadio Mane any time soon and as someone out of contract, Liverpool will surely be seeing him as a low risk, high potential signing. Of course, how many youngsters have we seen make the move to Anfield from overseas only to be left playing Championship or League One football in recent years? The Reds need to improve their youth recruitment if they want more promising talents to make the grade – although with the amount of homegrown prospects, they should not need to look abroad.