The Reds have grown accustomed under Brendan Rodgers to having some of the best young players in world football at our disposal, including the likes of Raheem Sterling, Jordon Ibe and Philippe Coutinho.
SEE MORE:
Best available free transfer XI: including Fiorentina goalkeeper and Manchester City man
Philippe Coutinho ranked 9th best young attacking midfielder in Europe, according to study
Liverpool transfer news
According to reports in the Mirror, the next name that could be added to that list is Paulinho – the 17-year-old Portuguese starlet who is close to agreeing terms on a summer switch – you can read the full story for that HERE.
We all know that Rodgers loves signing young players with bags of potential. You only have to look at his transfer record to see that it’s not simply an ownership policy that gave us the likes of Alberto Moreno, Emre Can and Lazar Markovic last summer.
So as we ramp up for what promises to be another exciting few months of transfer action, here are ten other teenage sensations Rodgers might do well to consider…
10) Tin Jedvaj (Bayer Leverkusen, 19)
The latest in a long-line of Croatian prodigies. After starting his career in Zagreb, the right-back moved to Roma in 2013 before joining Leverkusen earlier this year. He’s been a big hit in Germany and would be difficult to prise away, with his contract running until 2020. He’s made two appearances for Croatia already and looks excellent.
9) Jonathan Tah (Hamburg, 19)
The towering centre-back (pictured) is already a commanding presence at the back despite his tender age. He’s spent the season on loan in the German second division with Fortuna Dusseldorf, where he’s been a regular. He’s also made a total of 16 appearances for his parent club, as well as a handful of games for the German youth team.
8) Timo Werner (Stuttgart, 19)
He’s already made 53 appearances in all competitions for his club side, scoring seven goals. However, it’s on the international scene where the striker has been most impressive, bagging 26 goals in 33 games across a variety of different age groups. In November, he became the youngest Bundesliga player to score twice in the same game.
7) Breel Embolo (Basel, 18)
The powerful Swiss international forward, who won his first cap earlier this year, has had a fine season for Basel. He’s scored ten goals in 30 league appearances since making his first-team debut in 2014. Despite being a striker by trade, he can also play in midfield, with that sort of versatility likely to appeal to Brendan Rodgers and FSG.
6) Simone Scuffet (Udinese, 18)
The man who has widely been dubbed ‘the next Buffon’ (via ESPN). Scuffet (pictured) would be a fine addition to our goalkeeping ranks and would put pressure on Simon Mignolet for the number one jersey. He’s made 16 league appearances for Udinese thus far, becoming a semi-regular, while he’s also an Italian youth international.
5) Youri Tielemans (Anderlecht, 17)
The midfielder has already played 79 first-team games and won caps at Under-21 level for Belgium. He made his Champions League debut back in October 2013, shortly after his 16th birthday, making him the youngest Belgian ever to play in the competition. He won his country’s ‘Young Footballer of the Year’ award in 2014.
4) Anthony Martial (AS Monaco, 19)
The young striker has scored 11 goals in all competitions so far this season – ironically, almost three times as many as Radamel Falcao, who left Monaco for Manchester United at the start of the campaign. He’s also scored four times for the French Under-21 side. He joined Monaco from Lyon in the summer of 2013.
3) Andrija Zivkovic (Partizan Belgrade, 18)
Already a two-time Serbian international and the captain of his club. He’s scored six goals in all competitions so far this season, taking his Belgrade total to 11 from 59 games. An out-and-out winger, he could bring some much needed width to the Liverpool side and help keep Lazar Markovic company on the substitutes bench!
2) Gabriel Barbosa (Santos, 18)
The successor to Neymar at the Brazilian club, the teenager has done a fine job of filling those big shoes. He scored 21 goals in all competitions last season, taking his overall tally to 26 in 83 games. His form has been so strong that it’s led to Leandro Damiao, who has 17 caps for Brazil, being loaned out, as he can’t get a game at Santos.
1) Max Meyer (Schalke, 19)
Meyer made his Germany debut last year and has backed that up with another fine season for his club side. The attacking midfielder has scored six goals in 28 games, taking his total to 13 in 75 for Roberto Di Matteo’s side. A veteran of the German youth teams, the teenager looks certain to have a bright future ahead of him.
