Report: Liverpool eyeing club’s ‘biggest asset’, starting price could be as low as £1.5m

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Liverpool are reportedly set to lock horns with Manchester City over the signature of Mechelen youngster Aster Vranckx, according to The Mirror.

The Reds have focused a lot of attention towards their academy in recent years, cultivating their own talents and bringing in prodigious youngsters like Harvey Elliott and Sepp van den Berg to learn the ropes.

The report has now claimed that, from a transfer perspective, Liverpool will now focus even more on the next generation of talent, with a budget deficit deemed likely over the next 12-18 months in the fallout of the global health crisis.

The Anfield side now look set to battle with their Premier League title rivals for a young midfielder who has broken into the first team at the Belgian club and has already made 10 senior appearances, scoring once and claiming two assists.

Both Liverpool and Man City reportedly sent scouts to watch Vranckx on at least three separate occasions and are hoping to make a move in the summer, the 17-year-old potentially available for as little as £1.5million initially.

The Mirror also claims that Liverpool have tracking Vranckx – who also has five caps for the Belgium Under-19 side – since he made his senior debut in the Jupiler League at just 16 years old, back in 2019.

Liverpool and Man City are said to have competition from Bayern Munich and Feyenoord over the player’s signature.

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Liverpool are in a good position as things stand with regards to their first team and their fringe players, so the purported transfer shift from established first-team ready stars to up-and-coming prodigies shouldn’t impact on them too much in the mid-term.

With the global health crisis impacting massively on the football industry, Mechelen will “almost certainly need to sell this summer”, and Vranckx, along with 18-year-old striker Issa Kabore, is thought to be their “biggest asset”, claims the report.

A tall, athletic and versatile midfielder, Vranckx has clearly shown he’s a cut above by his exploits in Mechelen’s first team, and for a reported starting price of £1.5million, Liverpool have done well to scout him – but Man City will be a tricky opponent to face for his signature.