Top target: Liverpool plotting summer swoop for wonderkid who’s been likened to World Cup winner

For all the transfer links with Kylian Mbappe, realistically Liverpool will never sign the Paris Saint-Germain superstar, although they’re reportedly showing plenty of interest in a wonderkid who’s been likened to the 2018 World Cup winner.

According to Football Insider, Anfield chiefs have made Palmeiras sensation Luis Guilherme a ‘top target’ for the summer and even considered a formal approach in January, although none was made.

However, a ‘well-placed source’ has indicated that a move during the off-season is being plotted, with the 18-year-old also attracting plenty of interest from other major European clubs.

As mentioned by Football Insider, Guilherme has earned comparisons with Mbappe for his searing pace, having clocked an incredible speed of 36.4km/h during a match for Palmeiras’ under-17s in 2022.

The teenager is already hugely versatile, proving capable of operating as a number 10, a second striker or a right winger. As per The Beautiful Games, he boasts an enviable combination of ‘exceptional speed, creative flair and tactical prowess’.

The 18-year-old certainly appears to be a hugely promising talent, although the likelihood of a summer raid from Liverpool will almost certainly hinge on the selections for the club’s next sporting director and manager, and whether they view him as a player worth bringing to Anfield.

For much of 2023, the Reds were linked with another Brazil-based talent in Andre Trindade, although that mass speculation ultimately amounted to nothing.

It should be intriguing to see if this planned swoop for another hot prospect from South America’s biggest country has a different outcome, although filling the two major vacancies at LFC is sure to take precedence.