Liverpool has now stepped into the race to sign Marseille teenage prospect Maxime Lopez in the summer right from under the nose of Arsenal who have been following the progress of the French youngster for some time.
The 16-year-old right sided midfielder is the top prospect in Marseilles youth system and has scouts from all over Europe traveling to the South of France to watch the youngster play.
Lopez played against Arsenal in the UEFA Youth League in a match that Arsenal won 4-1 with Lopez only playing for 24-minutes after coming on as a sub, but put in a fine performance in the return leg that saw the teams draw 1-1 in November.
Lopez has figured against Arsenal in their UEFA Youth League ties but played 24 minutes as a substitute in the first game which Marseille lost 4-1 before pulling the strings in the return in November in a 1-1 draw.
Arsenal scout Gilles Grimandi has since been back to watch the youngster play, but in the meantime Liverpool invited him and his family to Anfield where they toured the facilities and met manager Brendan Rodgers who explained his philosophy of bringing the young players through to the first team.
Rodgers and club staff are spending the week getting some sun in Tenerife before their next match against Manchester United on the 16th of March and will be looking to make a few signings this summer that could include reviving their interest in Dnipro’s Yevhen Konoplyanka now that the future of Ukraine seems unsettled.
