Twenty-year-old was behind Nemanja Matic in the pecking order in Lisbon.
Check in to Liverpool vs Everton
Liverpool are considering making a move for £12.4m-rated Benfica midfielder Andre Gomes in the January transfer window following the recent knee injury picked up by Brazil international Lucas Levia, according to reports in the Sunday Times.
Read more Liverpool transfer news.
The Reds’ experienced holding midfielder damage the ligaments in his knee playing against Aston Villa in the Premier League last weekend and has since been ruled out of action for possibly as long as two months.
And as a result, the Merseyside giants’ head coach Brendan Rodgers now wants to bring a replacement for Lucas to Anfield before the winter transfer window slams shut for business for the season once again at the end of this month, with Gomes being the player that the Northern Irishman is said to be targeting.
The Portugal Under-21 international has been at the Estadio Da Luz throughout his whole career to date and is contracted to Benfica until June 2019, with his employers in Lisbon understood to value Gomes at around the £12.4m mark.
Liverpool were of course hoping to be able to sign in-demand FC Basel wide man Mohamed Salah at some point in January, only for rivals Chelsea to instead beat the Reds to the Egypt international’s signature, which is why the club have now switched their focus to Gomes.
SEE ALSO: PES 2014 best players: the 20 highest ranked players on Pro Evolution Soccer 2014.