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Liverpool 'Transfer Target' Otavio In Numbers
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Julian Ward's stint as the Liverpool sporting director proved to be brief, but even in a short window, he put his unique stamp on the Reds' squad thanks to his own expertise.
As part of a transition of power from the departing Michael Edwards, Ward oversaw a deal for FC Porto winger Luis Díaz in January 2022. And the following summer, the marquee addition was Benfica's Darwin Núñez, who may end up costing a club-record fee.
It was no surprise to see Ward focus on Portuguese-based talent when you looked at his CV. Prior to moving into club football, he had worked as an analyst for the Portugal national side between August 2008 and November 2010.
It remains to be seen whether Liverpool continues to shop in the Primeira Liga market following his exit, but one transfer opportunity will surely merit some consideration.
A Bola (print edition via Zach Lowy, as per the below tweet) reports that FC Porto, which just finished runner-up behind Benfica in the previous campaign, has just a week to raise $55m ($43m/€50m) from player sales.
Without doing so, it will face 'severe' Financial Fair Play blowback. Liverpool was able to conclude a deal for Díaz mid-season because of similar financial issues at Porto 18 months ago, and there should now be a chance to repeat the trick.
Here, we take a look at three players Liverpool should target in light of the news, with Alexis Mac Allister the only signing of the summer so far for the Reds.Otávio is simply one of the best players in the division, as demonstrated by two Team of the Year appearances in the last four seasons. He's a stand-out playmaker, finishing fifth for assists (seventh) and first for progressive passes (263), but he also showed he can be a prolific ball-winner by topping the tackles leaderboard in 2021/22 (with 100).
He's 28 years old, which puts him a little outside the ideal age range, but Liverpool would be getting an established international who started every game for which he was available at last year's World Cup. What's more, his $44m (£34m/€40m) release clause looks tempting, and there might even be the capacity to go lower amid Porto's FFP concerns.
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