:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/45813908/456197654.0.jpg)
At the beginning of the week, Villarreal’s 21-year-old star striker Luciano Vietto told AS he would be open to moving on at the end of the season, and that he was flattered by links to the likes of Juventus and Liverpool. Today, the player’s agent has gone a step further, confirming Liverpool’s interest in the rising star.
"We know a lot of big clubs are watching him," agent Jorge Cysterpiller told AS when the paper asked about the chances of his client joining Real Madrid following an impact performance against them. "There is a great deal of competition for him. As much as he likes Madrid, he could sign for Liverpool, as we know that he is admired by the reds."
Until now, there had been little sign that Madrid was interested in the player, and AS’ suggestion is that if they were to go for him, it would be to fill a role similar to the one Chicharito has this season. The Mexican striker has started once in the league for Los Blancos and made a further ten appearances off the bench, scoring three goals.
Vietto isn’t at the stage in his career where he would be in line for major minutes at Madrid, and even the club’s media mouthpiece seem aware of it in the midst of their attempts to start a rumour about him heading to the Spanish capital. Unless that were to change, his agent’s confirmation of Liverpool interest is the more interesting takeaway.
With rumours of a shockingly low £12M buyout clause, Liverpool would be foolish not to be interested in one of the best young talents in Europe—and one who has proven he can deliver against big sides both domestically and in the Europa League—particularly if Mario Balotelli and Rickie Lambert aren’t in Brendan Rodgers’ long term plans.
The nature of Spanish buyout clauses would see taxes functionally double that number if Liverpool forced the sale, but even at twice his release Vietto would be good value. Villarreal would also be far more likely to be open to cutting a deal with a club outside of La Liga, meaning a compromise could almost certainly be reached.
