Fabrizio Romano says Barcelona cannot afford £22m bid for Liverpool target

Liverpool and Chelsea will feel emboldened by Barcelona being unable to afford teenage talent Gabriel Moscardo as Europe takes notice of the 18-year-old.

On Thursday, Brazilian journalist Emmanuel Luiz reported that the Corinthians midfielder is on a list of three South American players Liverpool are considering.

Andre Trindade and Federico Redondo are the other two but Chelsea are currently frontrunners to sign him.

Fabrizio Romano reported on 31 August that Chelsea have already sent a "formal, official bid" worth €21 million (£18.4m) but the Italian has provided a fresh update on the situation, speaking on his YouTube channel on Saturday evening.

Fabrizio Romano provides the low-down on interest in Gabriel Moscardo from Europe

Romano reports: “Keep an eye on Gabriel Moscardo, talented midfielder playing for Corinthians, born in 2005, very good player

“Chelsea had a verbal proposal rejected at the end of August for him.

“Now from what I’m hearing, despite many rumours about Barcelona, because of financial fair play they’re not in a position to pay €25m [£22m], €25m plus add-ons to Corinthians for Moscardo, it’s too much and that’s why it’s a complicated deal.

"He’s highly appreciated by Barca but they are not prepared to invest that money in January.

“I say January because from what I’m hearing, the idea is for Moscardo to transfer in the January window, not in the summer. To leave Corinthians in January, with big Premier League clubs keen on signing him.

"Keep an eye on Premier League for this boy. For Barca it’s difficult, but for English clubs it could be a very big opportunity.”

Barcelona out - Chelsea and Liverpool to go head to head for Moscardo

Barcelona cannot afford the £22 million needed to sign Moscardo but Liverpool and Chelsea, with their Premier League financials, are in a better position to challenge for his services.

The Reds need a new defensive midfielder although the Blues really don't need to sign him after adding Romeo Lavia and Moises Caicedo to their ranks in the summer.

Of course, logic doesn't always seem to apply to Todd Boehly's scattergun approach since taking over from Roman Abramovich in 2022.

Moscardo, while a talented and promising young player, is unlikely to be the solution Liverpool need in the transfer market given his age.

That said, it never hurts to have teenage players with bucket loads of talent coming through the ranks.

Thiago Alcantara is set to leave Liverpool at the end of the season when his contract expires and while it's heartbreaking to see one of the most talented players of his generation battle to stay fit for long enough to feature for Klopp, he needs replacing.

Moscardo could be a long-term replacement but Liverpool need to sign a more senior player to replace Fabinho after his move to Al-Ittihad in the summer.