Why Liverpool should look at Marcelo Pitaluga as one for the future

According to claims from Brazilian outlet Globo Esporte (h/t Daily Star), Liverpool are in talks to sign teenage goalkeeper Marcelo Pitaluga, who currently plies his trade with Fluminense in Brazil.

As per the report, the Reds have already made an approach for the 17-year-old and it’s now up to the Brazilian club to make a decision on his future. 

The report doesn’t specify how much the Premier League champions have offered for his services but it has been claimed that the player’s family is pushing for a transfer to English football. It is also understood that Liverpool No.1 Alisson’s close relationship with Fluminense could be a decisive factor in bringing Pitaluga to Anfield this summer. 

Born in Niteroi, Brazil, the youngster has been a part of Fluminense’s youth system since his childhood days and was promoted to the club’s U-20 side last summer. The highly-rated youngster has also represented his nation at the U-17 level.

Meanwhile, Liverpool have already set the ball rolling in the transfer window this summer with the acquisition of Greek left-back Kostas Tsimikas, who is expected to serve as the understudy to first-choice Andrew Robertson. The Reds have also been heavily linked with a move for Bayern Munich midfielder Thiago Alcantara, but nothing has materialised just yet.

Having won the Champions League crown and the Premier League title in successive seasons with roughly the same set of players, Liverpool don’t really need to make wholesale changes to their first-team squad this summer. 

The Reds have grabbed the headlines on several occasions with their youth recruitment drive over the past couple of years. The likes of Ki-Jana Hoever, Harvey Elliott and Sepp van den Berg have all been roped in as exciting prospects from other leagues across Europe.

With the first-team squad at Anfield already littered with top-quality players, Liverpool might as well look to strengthen their academy ranks even further, with one eye on the future. And Marcelo Pitaluga could be yet another wonderful addition to the existing pool of up and coming talents at the club.

The 17-year-old is yet to make the step up to senior football, which doesn’t come as a big surprise given that he’s still very much in the developmental phase of his career.

The Brazilian starlet has already caught the eye with his potential in his homeland. A move to English football presents just the perfect opportunity for him to continue progressing in the right direction.

Liverpool already have Poland U-21 international Kamil Grabara and Caoimhin Kelleher to challenge the likes of Alisson and Adrian for a first-team role. Kelleher impressed for Jurgen Klopp’s side in the League Cup last season while Grabara caught the eye on loan at Huddersfield Town in the Championship.

In addition to that, the Reds also have highly-rated Czech prospect Vitezslav Jaros coming through their U-18 and U-23 set-up. Hence, Pitaluga would need to work really hard to make a name for himself at Liverpool amid such stiff competition for places if a move does materialise.

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Verdict

It’s hard to predict whether Marcelo Pitaluga would be able to make the grade at Liverpool. There are no guarantees over how his development would pan out in the years to come but considering his potential, the Brazilian starlet is certainly worth a punt for the Reds.