Reports: Liverpool want to sign talented French teenager as long-term Coutinho replacement

What’s the story?

Reports from France suggest that Liverpool may have found a potential gem that could be a star midfielder in the future, Mohamed Bahlouli. The Lyon starlet is only 18 years old and has already caught the attention of some top European clubs, with Liverpool being the spearhead, say France Football.

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The prodigy only turned 18 a few days ago and has an elder brother Fares Fahlouli who plays for Lille. He has been outstanding in the youth ranks of Olympique Lyon and could soon get his debut for the first-team very soon.

Heart of the matter

Bahlouli is an attacking midfielder by trait who can pierce defences with his dribbling and passing, much akin to what Philippe Coutinho did for the Merseyside outfit. The Reds haven’t yet signed a player in the Brazilian’s mould and they might just look towards grooming the talented teenager instead of splashing a huge amount of money on an already established star.

Rumour rating: 7.5/10

This rumour seems to have legs given that Jurgen Klopp is known to scour for youngsters that have potential to become world class stars in the future. He did it with Ilkay Gundogan, Marco Reus, and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.

As a result, combined with the reputation of France Football, there is a real chance that the Merseyside outfit could cash in on him in the summer.

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Author’s take

Liverpool have lost Philippe Coutinho and will need to sign someone to replace the former Inter man eventually. While Bahlouli represents a lot of raw talent, signing him also brings in the risk factor as it is always a gamble to groom youngsters.

If he fails, then it would be bad for Liverpool. And if he succeeds, then he might opt for a move to a bigger club like Coutinho did.