Liverpool favorite to sign 20-year-old defender who has £52m release clause - Reports

According to Brazilian news outlet UOL (via Fichajes), Liverpool have emerged as the firm favorites to sign Sao Paulo center-back Lucas Beraldo.

Beraldo, nicknamed 'The Joker', has impressed for Brazilian club Sao Paulo since making his senior debut in May 2022. The 20-year-old has made 45 appearances across all competitions to date, playing a pivotal role in helping his side win the Brazil Cup recently.

The Brazil U20 international is renowned for his ability to use both feet, maintain composure under pressure, pace, and his exceptional range of passing.

Beraldo is also a left-footed center-back and is the type of defender who is needed at Liverpool. With Virgil van Dijk and Joel Matip at the age of 32 and the latter out of contract next summer, Jurgen Klopp will need to look to the future to rebuild his defensive unit.

The Reds aren't the only clubs in the race for his signature as Bayern Munich, Lyon, and Monaco are also reportedly interested. However, Beraldo does have a high release clause sum of £52 million.

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Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp gives verdict on Trent Alexander-Arnold's performance following Manchester City clash

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp hailed Trent Alexander-Arnold for being influential during the Reds' 1-1 Premier League draw against Manchester City at the Etihad on Saturday.

Erling Haaland gave the Cityzens an early lead in the 27th minute, becoming the fastest player to score 50 Premier League goals in history. However, the Reds rallied back in the second half, with Alexander-Arnold leveling the scores in the 80th minute with a fantastic finish into the bottom-left corner from distance.

In addition to his excellent strike, the 25-year-old put in a decent defensive performance, despite facing off against Jeremy Doku. He made 10 recoveries, won five duels, and made two interceptions.

Klopp said (via Liverpool's official website):

"Very good. He played a really good game, super-influential. We changed it, if you want, with the position; we brought him and made it more clear where he has to be in these moments."

"But he did that really well and had still his moments with Doku where he was really strong in the one-on-one situations," he added. "You could see in a lot of moments how difficult it is against him, he is a really good dribbler. Trent was pretty influential today, in a good way."

Liverpool are now third in the league table with 28 points from 13 games, two points behind leaders Arsenal.