Real Madrid will accept Liverpool's £77m bid for midfielder who admitted he supported Reds as a youngster: Reports 

Real Madrid will accept a £77 million bid from Liverpool for midfielder Fede Valverde, according to El Nacional. The Uruguayan also admitted in the past that he supported the Reds as a youngster.

Valverde has been a key player for Los Blancos in recent seasons. Last season, he established himself as a goalscoring threat from midfield and right wing. The 24-year-old scored 12 goals and provided seven assists in 56 games across competitions.

Valverde once admitted that he supported the Merseysiders as a kid when Uruguayan hero Luis Suarez used to play for the club. He told Daily Mail:

"Uruguayans tend to support the team that has a Uruguayan in it. At that moment, because Luis was at Liverpool, we supported Luis. I wanted things to go well for him, I will always do that with a team that has a Uruguayan."

He further added:

"It happens with [Edinson] Cavani at Manchester United now too. I want United to win and for him to score goals. That year pretty much the whole country supported Liverpool."

Since making his Real Madrid senior debut in 2018, Valverde has made 204 appearances. He has been one of the first names on the team sheet under Carlo Ancelotti for the last two seasons.

Hence, the Spanish club potentially letting him go could be surprising. His current contract will expire at the end of the 2026-27 season.

Jurgen Klopp's side, though, could make a massive signing if they indeed manage to secure Valverde's signature.

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Liverpool forward wants to avoid Real Madrid in the Europa League

Liverpool will play in the UEFA Europa League next season after finishing fifth in the Premier League last season.

Reds forward Diogo Jota wants to avoid facing Real Madrid, who will play in the UEFA Champions League. The team that finishes third in their UCL group competes in the Europa League after going through a playoff.

The Merseysiders have been knocked out of the UCL by Los Blancos for all three seasons that Jota has been at the club. Speaking about wanting to avoid the Spanish giants, the Portuguese told Four Four Two:

“I played in the Europa League before with Wolves. Although the fans are used to playing in the Champions League every single year, and it will feel like a downgrade, it’s still a prestigious competition. We’ll give our best to win it."

He added:

“They (Madrid) can somehow finish third in their group and still be in our way. Since I came to Liverpool, I’ve always got knocked out by Real Madrid, so, hopefully, they’re not there!”

Real Madrid have been a nightmare for English clubs in European competitions in recent times, especially for the Reds.

They beat Chelsea, Manchester City, and Liverpool en route to their 14th Champions League title in the 2021-22 season. They also beat the Reds and Chelsea last season but lost against eventual champions City.