Liverpool are claimed to have made an offer for Fluminense’s young goalkeeper Marcelo Pitaluga, after the teenager trained with Alisson in Brazil back in February.
Alisson returned to his native Brazil during the Premier League‘s winter break towards the start of 2020, linking up with his brother Muriel, who is No. 1 at Fluminense.
The 27-year-old trained at the club’s CT da Barra complex, and watched on at the Maracana as they drew 1-1 with Union La Calera in the Copa Sudamericana.
He also posed for photographs with various members of the Fluminense squad, including one that saw a teenager flanked by the Becker brothers—that was, in fact, Pitaluga, who has now emerged on Liverpool’s radar.
According to Globo Esporte in Brazil, the Reds have now made a “proposal” to Fluminense as they bid to bring the 17-year-old to Anfield.
Fluminense are described as “likely to accept” due to a “financial crisis” at the club, who had hoped to sell promising Portuguese striker Marcos Paulo only to find bids are “not coming as expected.”
Pitaluga holds a German passport, with his dual citizenship therefore making a possible switch to England more realistic, unlike that of Allan Rodrigues in 2015, with the midfielder ultimately leaving five years later having failed to secure a UK work permit.
There should be no issue in the youngster qualifying for eligibility, and he is said to have a “desire” to join Liverpool, with the club having “offered Pitaluga and his family a house and promised the player’s father a job.”
The teenager’s deal with Fluminense runs until 2020, and with the club holding 100 percent of his economic rights a deal could be even more straightforward.
However, the Brazilian club are claimed to be seeking a deal that would allow them to retain part of his economic rights, though this is not standard practice in England and would likely manifest itself in various clauses instead.
Fluminese have already turned down offers for Pitaluga, who stands at 6’2″ and currently plays for the club’s under-20s while training with the first team, but their change in situation could lead to a summer move to Liverpool.
Pitaluga would not be the first young goalkeeper to join the Reds in this transfer window, with Polish teenager Fabian Mrozek having already completed his move from FC Wroclaw.
Spanish stopper Javi Cendon has been on trial with the first team during pre-season, but it remains unclear whether the club will offer the 19-year-old a permanent contract as they weigh up offers for other talents.
It seems Pitaluga may be one of those, and it is likely that he would arrive on the recommendation of Alisson, who clearly holds great sway in the Liverpool goalkeepers’ union.
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