It’s something of a foregone conclusion that Liverpool will put all their eggs into one basket this summer (initially at first) when it comes to Borussia Dortmund’s Jude Bellingham.
One name that some may have forgotten about, however, is another exciting young talent in Benfica’s Enzo Fernandez who made his first appearance in the World Cup from the substitutes’ bench in Argentina’s shock 2-1 defeat to Saudi Arabia – a rising star Adrian Blanco labelled a ‘great player’ on Twitter.
La única noticia positiva que saca Argentina de este partido es que Enzo Fernández está para ser titularísimo. Tiene mucho mérito entrar en un momento de histeria colectiva y jugar con tanta calma, confianza y determinación siendo además su debut en un Mundial.
Es un jugadorazo. pic.twitter.com/UHRGcaoZye
— Adrián Blanco (@AdrianBlanco_) November 22, 2022
The 21-year-old midfielder – whom Sport claim Liverpool are keeping an eye on – has enjoyed a fruitful first-half of the season, amassing eight goal contributions in 24 games (across all competitions).
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Able to play as a holding midfielder, more centrally and as an advanced option behind the forward line, Fernandez’s positional versatility would appeal in a similar manner to Jude Bellingham’s.
With a release clause of €120m (£103.8m) too, according to Bruno Andrade for UOL Sport, the midfielder looks a cheaper option than England’s breakout star (currently valued at €150m (£129.7m)).
The critical thing here is that we won’t be drawn into a potential bidding war thanks to the fixed price, whereas a positive World Cup campaign for our top summer target could leave us unable to conduct any further business in the window.
That doesn’t necessarily mean we should abandon all hope of signing the Borussia Dortmund star, though, if Fernandez is valued as a genuine alternative, it’s an option we should be keeping in mind.
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