South American keen on Liverpool move as Klopp eyes swoop to sign £34m star

Porto attacker Otavio is keen on joining Liverpool this summer and the Reds can sign him for a cut-price £34m before the end of June, according to reports via Football365.

Jurgen Klopp has already signed centre-back Ibrahima Konate from RB Leipzig but the Liverpool boss is still in the market for midfield reinforcements having seen Gini Wijnaldum join Paris Saint-Germain on a free transfer.

The Merseysiders are also being tipped to bring in another attacker to help support the likes of Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane as Liverpool look to build a squad capable of challenging on all fronts next season.

Otavio has emerged as a potential target after impressing at Porto last season where he scored 5 goals and provided a further 12 assists to help the club finish second in the Primeira Liga behind Sporting Lisbon.

Liverpool were linked with Otavio last year which promoted Porto to tie the player down to a new four-year contract but that hasn’t stopped speculation suggesting the midfielder will be on the move this summer.

According to the print version of Correio da Manha, as cited by Football365, Liverpool remain interested in signing Otavio and the Reds have the opportunity to sign him at a cut-price fee if they move quickly.

The Portuguese publication claims that the 26-year-old’s buy out clause is set at £51m [€60m] but any club can sign the attacking midfielder for just £34m [€40m] if the deal is wrapped-up before the end of June 2021.

Therefore, Liverpool will have to act fast if they want to sign the South American at the reduced rate and it appears the Merseysiders have the upper hand over other clubs in the running for his signature.

As per Correio da Manha, Fiorentina and Valencia are also showing a keen interest in signing Otavio this summer but the Brazilian-born midfielder favours a move to Anfield.

Otavio has predominantly played as a central attacking midfielder at Porto but he can also play out on either wing if needed so his versatility will be viewed as a major asset by Klopp.

However, let’s see how things develop as although there appears to be interest from Liverpool, there has been no formal approach so it remains to be seen whether Klopp will decide to step-up his pursuit or move on to other targets.