Liverpool have sent their scouts to watch an exciting new player from overseas, but a reliable journalist has revealed that they aren’t the only club looking to bring him to the Premier League.
Who are Liverpool's new signings?
Over the summer, Alexis Mac Allister, Dominik Szoboszlai, Wataru Endo and Ryan Gravenberch were the four fresh faces to enter the building, all of which have had an instant impact on the first-team, but there were also plenty of players leaving Anfield.
On Merseyside, Jordan Henderson and Fabinho were the two senior stars to depart for a fee, whilst the likes of Roberto Firmino and James Milner were let go on a free transfer, alongside Nathaniel Phillips and Fabio Carvalho who were among a group sent out on loan for the remainder of the season, via Transfermarkt.
Having created plenty of space in his squad, Jurgen Klopp is now assessing his options in the market ahead of the next window opening in January and appears to have identified an ideal target in the form of Stuttgart B side’s attacking midfielder Raul Paula.
Germany’s youth international will be out of contract at the end of the current campaign which means the new year will present the Bundesliga outfit with their final opportunity to cash in should they not want to risk losing the 19-year-old for free, and should he head for the exit door, he’s already got two potential suitors waiting for him.
Are Liverpool signing Raul Paula?
Taking to X, The Guardian’s Ed Aarons has confirmed that Liverpool and Brighton and Hove Albion have both deployed officials to assess the recent performances of Paula as they weigh up whether to make an approach in January. He wrote:
“Understand that Brighton and Liverpool have been scouting Germany Under 18 midfielder Raul Paula. He has six goals and two assists in the last nine games for Stuttgart's reserve side.”
How good is Raul Paula?
Liverpool will be aware that Paula is still a teenager and the fact that he doesn’t have any senior first-team experience under his belt means that he likely wouldn’t be immediately thrown in at the deep end, but there’s no doubting that he could be a wonderful addition for the long-term future of the club.
The FDF client has racked up 36 contributions (21 goals and 15 assists) in 61 appearances since the start of his career, which shows just how prolific he can be in the final third and his desire to get involved with the action in the opposition’s penalty area as much as possible.
Stuttgart B’s number ten has also already had a taste of success having been crowned the German U19s Cup winner during the 2021/22 season, so he would possess the winning mentality needed to match that of the current squad who are already at the AXA Training Centre.
Paula’s price tag remains to be seen so it’s unknown whether chiefs would be happy to splash out for such an inexperienced target, but should the right opportunity present itself thanks to his contract situation, this is certainly a no-brainer of a move to pursue at the beginning of 2024.