Rumour Mongering: Flamengo Set João Gomes Price Tag At €60M

Liverpool’s current injury woes in midfield have highlighted the need to accelerate the succession planning in the middle of the park. Many of the club’s current crop of midfielders are injury-prone and aging. So, young, promising players who can be part of the side’s long-term future are at the top of the transfer wish list right now.

The biggest name supposedly being targeted by the Reds is Borussia Dortmund’s Jude Bellingham, but LFC are also being linked to Flamengo’s João Gomes. Gomes is a very intriguing option as he is a holding midfielder. Liverpool don’t currently have any defensive midfielders other than Fabinho, so the prospect of buying a player to deputize the Brazilian stalwart is very attractive to many.

If LFC are truly interested in Gomes, they’ll likely be competing with Real Madrid for his signature if reports are to be believed. The Spanish giants supposedly have the 21-year-old at the top of their list of targets. Los Blancos were apparently hoping to get the midfielder for €40 million, but Mundo Deportivo are now reporting that Flamengo won’t let him go for anything less than his €60M release clause.

It’s hard to say if the Reds are likely to really consider such a price tag for a player from Brazil’s top flight, but it does seem improbable that they would pay €60M for him if they were also going to target Bellingham, who is likely to cost upwards of €80M himself.

Based on all the noise regarding the English starlet, it does sound as though Bellingham to Liverpool is on (assuming the Reds are willing to front the money). So, it may be that Gomes is only a real possibility if a move for Bellingham falls through and the Reds move on to a cheaper Plan B that will allow them to easier afford Gomes and a player for one of the forward two midfield roles.

Either way, though he may come at a premium, Gomes does seem to fit the bill for the type of player Liverpool would be targeting as their future number 6. So, he is one to keep an eye on as his transfer saga develops.