Transfer News: Henrique Araujo of Benfica on the radar of Liverpool, Manchester City, and Barcelona
According to Spanish outlet Mundo Deportivo as relayed by Sport Witness (h/t The Express), Liverpool are eyeing a move for Benfica starlet Henrique Araujo. The 20-year-old has been a prolific striker for Benfica’s development teams, scoring a combined 38 times in 76 youth games.
And recently, he has made five substitute appearances for the senior team as well, scoring one against Vizela to rescue a point off the bench. He has also represented Portugal at the U18, U19 and U20 levels.
Apparently, the Reds have been tracking Araujo for a ‘long time’ but now face two hurdles in order to get a deal across the line. First, they must fend off competition from Barcelona as well as Manchester City.
And secondly, Benfica’s unwillingness to sell the youngster and a contract that expires only in 2024 means that the Reds may have to spend a pretty penny for the 20-year-old starlet. Now, the question remains, is signing Araujo a priority?
Araujo battle
Right now, the Reds have one of the most feared attacks in Europe. Roberto Firmino, Diogo Jota, Sadio Mane, Divock Origi, Takumi Minamino and even Mohamed Salah are capable of playing as centre-forwards.
With the likes of Oakley Cannonier and Kaide Gordon in our youth set-up, the future seems to be secured as well. Hence, it doesn’t really make sense to prioritise signing a young striker. But it is wise to snap up young talents if you believe they can make it big.
Clubs around the world would be on the lookout for the next Erling Haaland or Kylian Mbappe- finding the next gem that can either take the team to the next level or fetch big money in transfer fees. If LFC think Araujo belongs to that bracket, then the board should, by all means, try their hand at getting him to Anfield.
Barcelona are always an attractive place for any young talent to go to even after the departure of Lionel Messi to PSG. Man City, meanwhile, seemed to have already secured two young strikers this season. Julian Alvarez is already on his way to the Etihad while The Athletic (Subscription Required) claim that a deal for Haaland is ‘done’.
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If they pursue another young striker remains to be seen. But the Reds would not have tracked the striker for this long had they not thought highly of him. This is a story to keep your eyes on as the summer transfer window gets nearer by the day.
