Liverpool are reportedly keeping tabs on Sao Paulo's teenage defender Lucas Beraldo.
The 19-year-old has quickly established himself as an important first-team player for the Brazilian giants and has already made 42 senior appearances since and including his debut in May last year.
Thirty-eight of those appearances have taken place in the current campaign, including 14 Brasileiro starts and seven outings in the Copa Sudamericana.
Beraldo also played the full 90 minutes at centre-back in both legs of Sao Paulo's Copa do Brasil final triumph over Flamengo at the end of last month.
Although the Brazil Under-20 international is under contract at Sao Paulo until June 2026, the youngster is believed to be attracting interest from a number of clubs in Europe.
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According to 90min, Wolverhampton Wanderers failed with a bid to sign Beraldo during the summer transfer window before opting to spend £8.5m on Girona defender Santiago Bueno on deadline day.
The report adds that Liverpool are now closely monitoring Beraldo and have sent scouts to Brazil to watch the left-footed defender several times in recent months.
It is understood that the Reds are eyeing up potential long-term replacements for 32-year-old defenders Virgil van Dijk and Joe Matip.
Van Dijk, regarded by many as an integral player under Jurgen Klopp and as one of the best defenders in the Premier League, has made 228 appearances for Liverpool over the last six-and-a-half years, winning seven trophies including the Premier League and Champions League.
Matip, meanwhile, has made 145 appearances during an eight-year spell with the Reds, but his future at Anfield is believed to be uncertain as his contract is due to expire next summer.
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While Van Dijk is considered a first-team regular under Klopp, Matip is regularly battling with Ibrahima Konate, Joe Gomez and Jarell Quansah, who recently made his senior debut, for a start in central defence.
Liverpool are not the only club said to be interested in Beraldo, as Bayern Munich, Lyon and Monaco have also sent scouts to South America to keep track of the defender's progress.
Sao Paulo are keen to fend off interest in Beraldo, though, and reward the defender's development in the first team with a new long-term contract.
Agreeing such a deal would then put the Brazilian club in a stronger negotiating position regarding a possible future sale of the highly-rated youngster.
Oliver Thomas
