Liverpool's £13m wonderkid 'target' fails to outshine Lamine Yamal after pre-match claims

Red Star Belgrade’s Andrija Maksimovic, who has been linked with a move to Liverpool, faced a reality check after his side lost 5-2 to Barcelona.

The Champions League clash had seen the two sides level at 1-1 for a spell before Hansi Flick’s side flexed their attacking muscles to come away as worthy winners. Maksimovic has been tipped for a great career having broken into senior football extremely early but he was made to eat his words against Barca.

Before the game, he tried to hype up a potential battle with the other 17-year-old star on the pitch, Lamine Yamal. In the build-up, he said: “Yamal and I were both born in 2007. Tomorrow, I will prove on the field that I am better than him.”

The Serbian was faced with the task of getting past Jules Kounde which proved to be a hugely difficult task. After 72 minutes, he was subbed off having failed to shine. He completed 61% of his passes, 100% of his dribbles and long balls but managed no shots and an expected assist total of 0.01.

Having only just broken into the side, the Champions League is proving to be a steep learning curve. He has two goals and four assists in 13 games for Red Star and they are expected to win the Serbian league, in which he’ll play a key role. According to Sky Germany's Florian Plettenberg, Liverpool is among the clubs "monitoring" along other notable names and he could well be a big signing in the years to come.

A deal could be done for just £13m - that’s less than they paid for another Serbian talent in the 2010s as Lazar Markovic arrived for £20m in 2014. Jacek Kulig of Football Talent Scout described him as a ‘highly creative’ playmaker with a ‘very high football IQ’ who’s ‘extremely elegant’ in the dribble and boasts an ‘excellent first touch’.

While he may have struggled against Barcelona - and failed to beat Yamal in a personal battle which few have managed to do - it is certainly no mark against his name given the Catalan side may be the best in Europe at the moment. The mere fact he is competing at this level already puts him on a path to potential greatness and Liverpool could be there in the years to come, ready to pay whatever is needed to secure his signature.