Liverpool’s scouting team have been handed an early-season brief by Michael Edwards regarding one Europe-based talent, judging by reports.
According to TEAMtalk, Anfield recruitment staff have been in attendance at recent matches involving Angel Gomes, who was handed his first two senior England caps during the international break this month and played for Lille in their Champions League defeat to Sporting Lisbon last night.
The Ligue 1 club are desperate to retain the 24-year-old, whose contract expires next summer, although they’ve accepted that they’re likely to lose him in the foreseeable future.
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It’s understood that Liverpool view the playmaker’s versatility as a ‘highly attractive’ plus point, along with the possibility of snapping him up on a free transfer if his future at the Stade Pierre-Mauroy isn’t resolved by the end of this year.
Discussions are believed to have taken place already, although it’s expected that Gomes won’t make any definitive decisions on his future until he’s evaluated all of his options.
The Manchester United academy product, who became the first player born in the 21st century to feature in the Premier League when he debuted in 2017, never managed to establish himself at Old Trafford but has gone on to flourish at Lille.
His first couple of caps for England drew praise from Roy Keane on ITV, who said that the 24-year-old ‘looked like he belonged’ at international level and was ‘full of beans’ for the Three Lions (Daily Express).
Although Gomes isn’t prolific for an attacking player (just two Ligue 1 goals since the start of 2022/23), his creativity is reflected in his tally of 14 top-flight assists in that time, and he ranks among the top 9% of positional peers in that metric among Europe’s five main leagues over the past year (FBref).
It could take a particularly convincing proposal from Liverpool to successfully snare a player with lengthy Man United connections, but Edwards and Anfield chiefs must see something special in him if LFC scouts have been dispatched to watch him in action.
Although his goal tally is surprisingly low for a playmaker, his creative ability and adaptability to numerous positions in midfield and attack could make him a very useful asset, should the recent scouting missions amount to something more concrete.
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