Barcelona have reportedly moved ahead in the race for young Royal Antwerp midfielder Arthur Vermeeren.
Despite only turning 18 this year, Vermeeren has already made 43 senior appearances for Antwerp, including featuring in all five Champions League group games this season.
Form for his club side has caught the attention of Domenico Tedesco too, as the Belgium manager handed him his international debut against Austria in October.
Fichajes claims that while Liverpool are showing strong interest, Barcelona have been leading the race for the player for a few weeks now.
Possibly in response to the knee injury that has ended Gavi's season, Barca are said to be keen to open negotiations as soon as the January window opens.
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Oriol Romeu has endured a difficult spell since arriving at the club, so Xavi could be keen to add reinforcements in his midfield, alongside Pedri, Ilkay Gundogan and Frenkie de Jong.
The report states that Liverpool are the most likely English club to make a serious move for the Belgian, given their lack of numbers in midfield currently.
Vermeeren is reportedly valued at €20m (£17.25m), which Liverpool see as reasonable for the player, as they target young players that can grow in the long term.
Recent reports also linked Premier League leaders Arsenal with a move for the teenager, despite them spending a nine-figure fee on adding Declan Rice to their midfield over the summer.
Despite spending big money on Casemiro and Mason Mount, and another potentially substantial fee for Sofyan Amrabat on a permanent deal, Man United are also said to be in the race.
Injuries and a lack of form has seen Erik ten Hag meddle with his United midfield regularly this season, and more recruits could be on the way in that department.
Antwerp will likely hope to hang on to the player until after Euro 2024 at the earliest, as a breakout tournament for the youngster could greatly increase his transfer value.
The decision is believed to be up to the player though, as long as his transfer valuation is met, but it is still unclear as to whether the club would be open to selling in January.
Andrew Delaney
