In a bit of news which was missed in all the stories on transfer deadline day, a Liverpool scout actually had some interesting things to say to Brazilian sports outlet UOL Esporte.
Reportedly the head of the Reds’ scouting network in Latin America, Fernando Troiani said that the Reds had been scouting Gremio and Brazil Under 23 striker Luan but there was no truth whatsoever to the rumours that Liverpool were going to make an offer for the Brazilian:
“It is widely known that the press is reporting, without any support, that Liverpool are interested, and we’ve made a proposal (for Luan). We do not know where this invention was created. But I can assure you this is not true. We know that the board of Porto Alegre’s club has nothing to do with it, and we estimate that the athlete’s manager does not either.”
Troiani went on to say:
“We [Liverpool] have known about Luan since before his time at Grêmio, we have followed him and we believe that he does not need anyone making up false stories to continue appreciating in the market. No doubt he can be sold without this kind of ‘help'”
Luan performances at the Olympics increased speculation about the 23 year old’s future with many of Europe’s top clubs, including Liverpool, said to be interested in signing the forward. Troiani comments certainly make any move for Luan highly likely, even more so because Luan would probably not qualify for a work permit due to not playing enough games for the Brazilian senior side over the past few years.
