While Arne Slot and his Liverpool side were busy dispatching Bologna on Wednesday night, some scouts from the Merseyside club were in attendance at another Champions League fixture to watch over a potential signing for the Reds.
Along with the infamous pursuit of Real Sociedad’s Martin Zubimendi, LFC were linked with a possible move for Atalanta midfielder Ederson over the summer (Marca), although nothing concrete on that front has come to fruition as of yet.
However, having watched him when the Nerazzurri played Arsenal a fortnight ago, a Liverpool delegation also viewed him firsthand as he helped his team to a 3-0 win over Shakhtar Donetsk in Gelsenkirchen last night, as reported by Graeme Bailey for TBR Football.
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Manchester City, Tottenham and Newcastle are also understood to have sent scouts to that particular match, with Europa League final hat-trick hero Ademola Lookman standing out as he netted the Nerazzurri’s second goal.
The report adds that Ederson is ready to move on from Atalanta next year and would prefer a move to a Premier League club.
On the face of it, the midfielder’s willingness for a transfer to England could be to Liverpool’s benefit, although the same rings true for all of his Premier League suitors.
Ederson was quietly effective for Atalanta in their victory against Shakhtar, expertly keeping the play ticking over as he completed 50 of his 53 passes (94%) and one dribble, lost the ball only four times from 62 touches and won three of his five duels (Sofascore).
The question for Anfield chiefs to answer is whether a move for the 25-year-old is greatly needed, with Ryan Gravenberch and Alexis Mac Allister excelling in the midfield engine room under Slot.
As per FBref, the Brazil international’s underlying performance metrics over the past 12 months aren’t remarkable when compared with positional peers in Europe’s five main leagues in the same period, so it may be hard for Liverpool to justify paying a substantial fee to bring him in.
If the Reds’ hierarchy remain convinced that he could be an astute prospective addition, perhaps a few more scouting mission are in order before a definitive judgement can be established.
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