Liverpool dismiss interest in FC Porto's Otavio as 'entirely fabricated'

Transfer News: Liverpool dismiss links to FC Porto winger Otavio

FC Porto winger Otavio has been linked with a move to Liverpool in the past week, but Liverpool Echo now claims that such rumours are unsubstantiated.

Anfield sources are ‘distancing’ themselves from such claims and have dismissed such links as ‘entirely fabricated’. They believe it is being done to drum up interest in Otavio if he leaves the Dragons in the near future.

If that is the case, then it isn’t all that surprising. Liverpool are one of the biggest sporting teams in the world who have a potential crisis down on their hands with Mohamed Salah still not renewing his LFC deal.

Liverpool have been linked with FC Port winger, Otavio. (Daniel Castro)

We may boast an attack that consists of Diogo Jota, Roberto Firmino, Luis Diaz, Darwin Nunez, and Mohamed Salah. But the fact of the matter is that only the Egyptian superstar is a natural right-winger for us.

No Otavio for LFC

Takumi Minamino, who has deputized in that role a couple of times, is close to moving to AS Monaco while Harvey Elliott is being played in central midfield by Jurgen Klopp. The Englishman is also a bit too young to take over the mantle from Salah just yet.

Otavio, who plays down that flank regularly for the Primeira Liga side, could have been an option for the Reds with the Portugal international already having past links with Diaz and Jota, while also playing for Alisson Becker’s ex-club Internacional.

Otavio with Luis Diaz during their time at FC Porto. (Photo by MIGUEL RIOPA/AFP via Getty Images)

But it makes sense that such links are being dismissed as ‘fabricated‘. Otavio will be 28 in February 2023 and while that isn’t an old age in football by any means, we may run into a ‘Mo Salah-esque’ problem with Otavio within a couple of years.

Salah is one of the world’s best wingers and only turned 30 this month. The Reds apparently have a system in place where they don’t hand big contracts to players that are into their 30s.

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Georginio Wijnaldum is one such example, with the player being released as a free agent last summer. It is better to focus on younger, more proven targets because potentially replacing Salah, in the long run, is something we must not compromise with; only the best to replace the best.