Liverpool have reportedly sent a delegation to Brazil to engage in talks with Sao Paulo over a move for 19-year-old centre-back Lucas Beraldo.
The 6ft 1in defender has gone from strength to strength since leaving the Piracicaba academy in 2020 to join Sao Paulo, who promoted him to their senior squad last year.
Despite his tender age, Beraldo has already made 48 appearances for the first team - 44 of which have come in the 2023 season - and he scored his first goal in a 4-2 Brasileiro win over Vasco da Gama in May.
The defender has started 20 top-flight matches for Sao Paulo in the current campaign and also played a key role in his side's Copa do Brasil triumph, playing every minute of their two-legged win over Flamengo in the final.
Beraldo also started seven games during Sao Paulo's run to the quarter-finals of the Copa Sudamericana, where they lost to LDU Quito on penalties, and he boasts three caps for Brazil's Under-20s, captaining them to a 1-0 friendly win over Uzbekistan in September.
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Beraldo's contract with Sao Paulo does not expire until the summer of 2026, but the Brazilian giants are seemingly fighting a losing battle to keep hold of him as clubs from Europe queue up to present offers.
A recent report claimed that Liverpool were keeping a close eye on the teenager's displays, and according to The Sun, the Reds have now stepped up their interest by flying representatives over to South America.
Liverpool are supposedly determined to strike while the iron is hot and complete a deal for Beraldo as soon as possible, potentially in the January transfer window if a fee can be agreed in the coming weeks.
The Reds may be forced to shell out £20m to pip other European giants to Beraldo's signature, but the 19-year-old - who is left-footed - will be offered an immediate route into the first team at Anfield, which may not be the case elsewhere.
Virgil van Dijk has returned to form for Liverpool this season since being given the armband, but his regular defensive partner Ibrahima Konate has struggled to stay fit and missed the weekend's 3-0 win over Brentford with a hamstring injury.
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Konate's issue has also forced him to withdraw from the France squad, and the French Football Federation have stated that the 24-year-old will be sidelined for around two weeks, plunging his participation in November 25's showdown with Manchester City in doubt.
Joe Gomez was also missing from the clash with the Bees with an unspecified injury, leaving Joel Matip and Jarell Quansah as Jurgen Klopp's only options to partner Van Dijk, but the former is out of contract in 2024.
A new centre-half is therefore expected to be a priority for Liverpool in the summer transfer window, and the Reds have also been tipped to move for Sporting Lisbon and Portugal man Goncalo Inacio.
However, Manchester United are also making a play for Inacio, who would prove to be a tricker acquisition than Beraldo given his greater experience and European know-how.
Ben Knapton
