A reliable transfer reporter has revealed that Liverpool submitted an enquiry to a high-flying Champions League club for one of their most coveted youngsters.
Among the standout results from the tournament this week was Sporting Lisbon’s 4-1 demolition of Manchester City in a memorable final home match for Ruben Amorim before he leaves the Portuguese capital to take charge of Manchester United.
A player who starred in that sensational result at the Estadio Jose Alvalade has been the subject of transfer enquiries from England.
Liverpool enquire about Quenda
According to Graeme Bailey for TBR Football, Liverpool and Arsenal have both lodged enquiries for Geovany Quenda, although Sporting are set to move heaven and earth to ensure that the 17-year-old doesn’t leave in the near future.
The winger and the clubs who’ve asked about him have been told that the Lisbon hierarchy have no intention of selling him, unless their hand is forced by a prospective suitor triggering his €100m (£83m) release clause.
Quenda is highly-rated but also exorbitantly priced
Quenda has caught the eye during his breakout season at Sporting, scoring twice in his 17 games so far and providing a delightful threaded assist for Viktor Gyokeres’ first goal in the 4-1 thrashing of Man City on Tuesday.
He also won five of his seven duels on the night (Sofascore) and Bernardo Silva, who captained the Premier League champions in midweek, has tipped the 17-year-old to eventually ‘steal’ his starting berth in the Portugal national team (A Bola).
It’s a sign of how highly he’s rated that the Portuguese giants have set such a lofty release clause and are determined not to sell him, although £83m would still be a colossal figure to pay for someone who’s still only finding his way in senior football.
Also, Amorim has said that while Quenda is ‘a very talented kid’, he still ‘has to improve a lot’ with his finishing and his overall decision-making in the final third (TBR Football). Furthermore, Liverpool already have a teenage right winger brewing nicely in Ben Doak, so they don’t need to spend big bucks on the Sporting gem.
The 17-year-old isn’t likely to end up at Anfield any time soon, but he could be one to watch in a general sense over the rest of this season and in the coming years.