Liverpool to ‘challenge’ Benfica for €20m teenager

Liverpool look to still be in the market for a new attacker despite confirming the arrival of Cody Gakpo earlier this week. The Reds are said to be making ‘concrete moves’ to sign Chicago Fire forward Jhon Duran, according to Raffaele Amato (via Liverpool Echo).

Capable of playing through the middle or on the left wing, Duran began his career in his native country of Colombia with Envigado, where he scored nine goals and provided four assists. Shortly after the 19-year-old was included in The Guardian’s ‘60 of the best young talents in world football’ list, he was snapped up by Chicago Fire on a contract beginning in January of this year. Duran has continued to impress for his new club, scoring eight goals and picking up six assists in only 28 appearances. Not only has his form earned him three international caps for Colombia, he has also now caught the attention of Liverpool.

While Duran only joined Chicago Fire for €1.7m, the report claims that they are looking to rake in €20m if he is to leave the club in the near future. While the Reds have certainly showed that they are willing to splash the cash this year, they will also face competition from Benfica who have reportedly bid more for the forward than the Premier League outfit. Though Liverpool will surely know that Benfica’s interest is a very good thing considering their knack of turning relatively unknown players into world beaters - such as Darwin Nunez, Joao Felix and Angel Di Maria.

It is unclear how eager Liverpool are to sign Duran, however it would certainly be interesting given their depth up top now. Jurgen Klopp’s side recently signed Gakpo for £35m and also added both Darwin Nunez and Luis Diaz to their ranks this year. Duran would also be competing with the likes of Fabio Carvalho, Diogo Jota and Roberto Firmino for a place in the team