Corinthians wonderkid Gabriel Moscardo has revealed that there was strong interest from Chelsea in signing him earlier in the summer.
The 18-year-old is one of the best young defensive midfielders in the Brazilian top-flight and Chelsea attempted to sign him during the last transfer window. Moscardo was only 17 at the time. He was ineligible to move to a European club until January, but Chelsea still made an attempt to secure an agreement.
The London giants proposed to pay £21.5 million for the young sensation, but Corinthians were holding out for £30 million. Moscardo has now confirmed that there was strong interest from the Blues, but he is currently focused on helping Corinthians finish their league campaign on a good note.
He was quoted as saying by Fabrizio Romano: “I can confirm that there was interest from Chelsea few months ago, strong interest… but I want to help Corinthians get out of this situation. To tell you the truth, I have very little information, my father knows a few things.”
Huge talent
The teenager has made only 22 senior appearances for Corinthians, but he has grabbed plenty of attention with his performances. The defensive midfielder has impressed with his tackling, ball recoveries as well as duel-winning ability. He is also good with his concentration and rarely loses possession.
There are no surprises that Chelsea are after his signature. The Blues are blessed with several holding midfielders. Enzo Fernandez, Moises Caicedo, Romeo Lavia and Lesley Ogochukwu were all signed by them this year. Moscardo may not get consistent minutes if he were to join the club in the next window.
Hence, the door is open for a rival club to land his signature. Liverpool are prepared to provide competition and they could convince the youngster into turning down advances from the Blues. The Merseyside outfit are in Europe this season unlike Chelsea and Moscardo could get more playing time with them.
Liverpool are yearning for a quality holding midfielder after offloading Fabinho and Jordan Henderson last summer. Moscardo may not be an immediate answer to their problem, but he could become one in the long run. He definitely has a better chance to establish himself with Liverpool when compared to Chelsea.
