Liverpool have registered an interest in signing Zulte Waregem midfielder Pape Demba Diop, according to the player’s representative.

The 19-year-old only moved to Belgium last September but, following Zulte Waregem’s relegation from the Belgian top flight, it is expected that the player will move teams once again this summer. Asked by TMW about the clubs who are keen on snapping up the player, his agent Gerald Sagoe said:

“Towards the end of last season while he was busy with the national team we were contacted by Liverpool and we had preliminary meetings in Paris. Three French teams have expressed interest and some Italian teams, including Napoli, have expressed interest. Together with my lawyer Alessandro Mazzucato we will have some appointments in Germany in the next few weeks. Let’s see what happens.”

Diop has only played two matches in European football. His first game was against KMSK Deinze for Zulte in the Belgian Cup just before Christmas, coming on as a second-half substitute in a 2-1 win.

The teenager’s only other first-team match was a league fixture a few days later when he played the last 30 minutes during a 2-1 defeat to Sint-Truiden.

Liverpool have been keeping an eye on his international performances

While Diop hasn’t made an impact at club level yet, it is a different story on the international stage, where he has played a prominent role for Senegal’s Under 20 team.

The midfielder scored four goals in six appearances as his country won the Under 20 African Cup of Nations back in March.

Diop also featured in the Under 20 World Cup a couple of months ago, playing the full 90 minutes in all three group games, as well as getting on the scoresheet against Israel.

If the youngster does make the switch to Liverpool, it is unlikely that he would play for the first team straight away. A loan spell away from the Reds may be sought so he can continue to develop his game.