Chelsea and Arsenal are showing a stronger interest in the potential transfer of Corinthians wonderkid Gabriel Moscardo than Liverpool at the moment, according to Neil Jones.
Speaking exclusively to CaughtOffside for his Daily Briefing column, Jones explained that Liverpool are more likely to target someone a bit more experienced, especially if they’re coming from South American football.
While Moscardo looks a hugely promising young talent, it remains to be seen if he’d be quite ready to make the step up from playing in the Brazilian league to being a first-teamer for one of the top clubs in the Premier League.
Jones suggested that Liverpool’s preference for South American talents is to see how they get on in Europe first, as was the case with signings like Luis Diaz, Darwin Nunez, Roberto Firmino, Alisson and others.
Moscardo looks like he could fit the bill for Chelsea, however, based on their recent policy of signing some of the best young players from all over the world, including a number that have some from Brazil.
Arsenal, on the other hand, might also want someone a bit more proven given where they are in their project right now, with Mikel Arteta’s side chasing the Premier League title this season and competing in the Champions League again.
Discussing the Moscardo situation, Jones said: “Another young Brazilian linked with a move to Merseyside is Gabriel Moscardo of Corinthians, although my information is that both Chelsea and Arsenal have shown far more interest in the 18-year-old than Liverpool have.
“Liverpool, generally, do not sign first-team players directly from South America. Their tendency in the past has been to wait and see how a talent develops once it has moved to Europe – think of Diaz, Firmino, Fabinho, Nunez, Mac Allister and Alisson as six great examples – before making their move when the player reaches their early-mid 20s.”