Liverpool have kept Otavio on their shortlist and still want the player, according to reports. £50m could pry him from Porto.
This comes from A Bola. They claim that FC Porto’s Otavio is in high demand, with clubs from England hoping to sign him this summer.
One of those is Liverpool, who have long been linked with the playmaker. The Reds recently did business with Porto, too, as they signed Luis Diaz from the club back in January. In fact, the Reds struck a deal with same club a year ago for Marko Grujic.
With the door already open, they could return for more and Otavio may be the next player to switch between the clubs.
Liverpool still want Otavio
We wrote plenty about Otavio last summer when reports in Portugal consistently linked him with Liverpool. A Bola, in fact, were one of those.
The price back then was £35m – if Liverpool signed Otavio before the end of July. His release clause jumped up to £50m after that and that’s the price a club must now pay.
So is Otavio worth that? Potentially, yes. We went into detail here but the Brazilian-born playmaker does look like a great fit for Liverpool. We’re just sceptical that the Reds would pay £50m now.
Especially when Fabio Carvalho is likely on his way. The Fulham man plays a similar role to Otavio but is far younger and far cheaper. We don’t see why there’d be room for both in this squad.
Liverpool almost certainly have eyes on Otavio in one way or another. An imminent transfer, though, just feels out of the question and we expect another Premier League side to trigger that release clause.
The Reds can instead focus their funds elsewhere – likely on a more defensive-minded midfielder as they look to boost their squad depth.