Liverpool don’t have a “genuine interest” in Porto midfielder Alan Varela, according to the Liverpool Echo.
The Reds have been heavily linked with a move for the Argentinian international in recent months but the local newspaper claims the rumours are being fed by the player’s agent:
“Senior figures, however, have dismissed genuine interest and believe the 22-year-old’s agent to be the source of the reports out of South America.”
Varela does have a €70m (£60m) release clause in his contract but it would be a sizeable amount of money to pay for a player who only joined Porto from Boca Juniors for €11m last year.
Scouts were spotted watching Varela
Reports in the Portuguese media claimed that the Reds had been seen watching Porto’s fixture against Vitoria Guimaraes back in early April.
At the time, it was reported that Manchester City, Manchester United, Chelsea, Bayern Munich and Atletico Madrid also had representatives in the stands, although it is not clear how many of them were there to see Varela.
Liverpool appear to be in the market for a midfielder
Even if Arne Slot’s team are not interested in Varela, it seems clear that scouts are looking at possible targets to strengthen the club’s options in the middle of the park.
The Reds have been credited with an interest in Atalanta pair Ederson and Teun Koopmeiners, while the club have apparently revived their interest in Nice midfielder Khephren Thuram.
Fans are keen for Liverpool to recruit a new No. 6, with many feeling that Wataru Endo and Stefan Bajcetic don’t possess the sufficient quality or experience for the position.
Of course, Slot will need time on the training pitch to assess his squad first so there could be more developments on the transfer front later on in the summer.
