Last week, The Mirror claimed that Liverpool and Man United are 'known to be interested' in Salvio, and according to a Monday report in Portuguese newspaper O Jogo:
* Liverpool will 'try to buy' Salvio this summer.
* He has a €60m (£44m) release clause in his contract, but he's pushing for Benfica to reduce that figure.
Some info about Salvio:
* Right-sided attacking midfielder, who can also play on the left, or as a number 10.
* 37 goals/31 assists in 143 apps for Benfica.
* Goal/Assist every 2.1 games.
* This season: 12 goals/8 assists in 32 apps.
* Goal/Assist every 1.6 games.
* 5 apps for the Argentina national team.
* 7 major trophies with Benfica/Atletico Madrid.
* 2013: Missed 6 months of the season with a serious knee injury.
* 2013: Man City reportedly made a €30m bid for Salvio.
Liverpool may be interested, but under current rules, it will be difficult signing to complete as Salvio will need a UK work-permit.
Extensive international experience is usually a pre-requisite when applying for a permit, and with only 5 appearances for Argentina, the attacker doesn't meet the criteria. Additionally, Salvio hasn't played for the national team since 2012, which doesn't help his case (!)
With recent links to Max Meyer, Hakan Calhanoglu, and Felipe Anderson, Liverpool seem to be on the hunt for Coutinho clones at the moment, and given the Brazilian's growing (but sometimes inconsistent) impact on the club, that's hardly surprising.
Rodgers probably thought he'd found another Coutinho-esque attacker when he signed Lazar Markovic, but it hasn't turned out that way, and if the Reds bring in another attacking midfielder, the Serb will probably find it even harder to hold down a first team place.
Markovic didn't even make the squad for Sunday's 2-1 defeat to Manchester United; Rodgers preferred the likes of Rickie Lambert and the outgoing Glen Johnson to a £20m summer signing, which is not a good sign.
Author: Jaimie K
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