Liverpool is preparing to sign a new right-back ahead of the summer transfer window to fill the gap left by Trent Alexander-Arnold. The club aims to find a player who can match his exceptional quality and creativity.
Exclusive: Liverpool line up genius transfer to sign world champion
Anfield Watch can exclusively reveal Liverpool are lining up a move for a new right-back ahead of the summer window.
As this season has unfolded, the void left by Trent Alexander-Arnold at Anfield has grown more apparent.
There are very few players in world football who can match his quality, especially in terms of distribution and creativity from deep and especially from right-back. His ability to dictate play and break down defences is unrivalled - there is no one like him.
Although Conor Bradley has often been seen as the natural heir, ongoing injury issues have raised concerns about his reliability as a long-term first-choice option.
There’s no doubt he still has a role to play within the squad, but Liverpool need more certainty in such a vital position.
Meanwhile, Jeremie Frimpong has yet to prove himself as a dependable defensive presence, with his strengths clearly better suited to more advanced, attacking roles.
That lack of confidence in Frimpong and the doubts over Bradley's fitness has forced Liverpool into action and they will be tempting to reinforce the right-back position this summer in order to replace Alexander-Arnold 'properly' once and for all.
So, who could Liverpool be targeting?
Anfield Watch can exclusively reveal that one of the club's top targets for the position is Daniel Banjaqui and Liverpool are exploring a potential move for the 18-year-old right-back, who is seen as an ideal profile for the football the Reds want to play.
Banjaqui has only made two senior appearances for Benfica's first-team under Jose Mourinho, but he has caught the eye in those games.
Liverpool is lining up a move for a new right-back, but the specific player has not been disclosed.
The team needs a new right-back to fill the void left by Trent Alexander-Arnold, whose unique qualities are hard to replace.
Liverpool is looking for a right-back who can match Trent Alexander-Arnold's distribution, creativity, and ability to dictate play.
The summer transfer window typically opens in early June and closes at the end of August, though specific dates may vary each year.
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In his first ever start, he won the most tackles (4) and the most duels (12) in the game, but perhaps the most important aspect of his performance was his assist, a clever cross finding Anisio Cabral to help Benfica to a 4-0 victory.
Banjaqui also caught the eye at the U17 World Cup, where he played a key role in Portugal triumphing in the tournament, playing all of his country's eight matches en-route to lifting the trophy and becoming a world champion.
Liverpool had a lot of scouts present at that tournament in Qatar, and the Reds have already signed two players from the tournament in Ifeanyi Ndukwe and Mor Talla Ndiaye.
In terms of his playing style, Banjaqui is quick, and he loves to bomb forward but he's also a very good defender. In many ways, you can draw similarities with his style of play to that of his compatriot Nuno Mendes who came through the ranks at Sporting CP and plays for Paris Saint Germain.
Mendes was a player Liverpool really liked at Sporting but never ended-up signing because at the time they had Andy Robertson.
The reason why Liverpool are ready to move for Banjaqui now, who recently penned a new deal with Benfica until 2031, is because securing him this summer will ensure that he could become a homegrown player by the time he turns 21-years-old as per current Premier League squad registration rules.
The same will apply to Giovanni Leoni, and the aforementioned Ndukwe and Ndiaye.
It would be a genius move from Liverpool, who believe Banjaqui would be ready to play a role in the first-team immediately.