Scouts dispatched: Liverpool could vie with Barcelona to sign teenage prodigy for less than £10m

According to reports from Scandinavia, Liverpool could vie with Barcelona in the race to sign a teenage prodigy from Sweden.

Expressen claimed that Momodou Lamin Sonko is attracting interest from the two European giants and RB Leipzig, with his club Hacken hoping to hold out for a record sale amounting to 90m-100m krona (£6.9m-£7.7m).

The Reds reportedly dispatched scouts to watch the 18-year-old in action for the Swedish outfit against Qarabag in the Europa League, with his side beaten 2-1 in Azerbaijan.

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Sonko scored seven goals and set up another four in the Swedish top flight this year in helping Hacken to finish third, in addition to featuring in all six of their Europa League group games (Transfermarkt).

The club’s sporting director Martin Ericsson said in October that ‘every single club I have spoken to knows who he is’, adding that the teenager is destined for ‘the absolute top teams in Europe’ (Expressen).

The European campaign will no doubt help the teenager’s cause, giving him experience of playing at a high level and greater exposure to suitors like Liverpool to take a look at him and assess how he could perform in the Premier League.

Such is the competition for places in the Reds’ attack that Sonko would be a squad member at best if we were to sign him in 2024, with the likelihood that he’d undergo a series of loan moves first before being deemed ready to challenge the likes of Luis Diaz and Diogo Jota for a place in the starting XI.

It’ll be intriguing to see what LFC scouts reported back upon seeing him in action on Thursday, but if clubs like Liverpool and Barcelona are keen on the teenager, he certainly seems like a prospect worth watching over the next few months.

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