Liverpool have been told by Portuguese side Benfica that they can sign their left-back Alejandro Grimaldo for £35.4m, according to reports in Italian outlet Calcio Mercato. We will, however, have to trump the interest from Italian Champions Juventus in order to sign the defender.

Grimaldo is no stranger to attention, having spent time in the Barcelona youth academy as a teenager. He was a regular in the Barcelona ‘B’ team, although the final push towards the main team didn’t materialise.

The 22-year-old was then transferred to Benfica in January 2016, with his chances of first-team action at the Nou Camp being negligible. However, the transfer to Benfica seems to have invigorated his career. The youngster has established himself as one of the most exciting full-backs in Portugal over the past 20 months and helped Benfica win consecutive Primeira Liga titles.

Grimaldo is a regular at the club now and even impressed for the Portuguese outfit during the recent double-header against Manchester United in the Champions League.

The Spanish Under-21 international has been on Liverpool’s radar for quite some time now, as rumours keep circulating that the youngster will make a move to Anfield soon. That explains why the latest report talks of an asking price being quoted by Benfica.

This is an interesting development because Jurgen Klopp’s requirement of a good left-back is at least one transfer window behind in time. The signing of Andrew Robertson added options for the German but the real plus has been the improved form of Alberto Moreno.

The Spanish full-back was out-of-favour last season, with Klopp having been forced to using James Milner in that position. It now looks like Robertson and Moreno are the options for Klopp, although the former is struggling for game time.

Even if the Reds decide to go for the signature of Grimaldo, they will not be alone in the race, as it is reported that Juventus are also interested in bidding for the Spaniard.

There are a lot of ifs and buts in this race, but it is safe to say that we will keep hearing the name of Grimaldo in the coming months. Will Liverpool trump competition for his signature? We’ll have to wait to find out.