Liverpool are among multiple Premier League clubs who are currently keeping tabs on Preston North End wonderkid Felipe Rodriguez-Gentile, according to The Mirror.
The Lowdown: Rodriguez-Gentile on a hot streak
Ahead of the January transfer window, the Reds have been linked with a number of potential signings, with England star Jude Bellingham and Argentine World Cup winner Enzo Fernandez among the headline targets.
Another youngster on FSG's radar is Rodriguez-Gentile, who made a name for himself earlier this month when scoring five goals for Preston in a 6-1 rout of Rotherham in the FA Youth Cup.
That sensational display was not an outlier for the 16-year-old Brazilian, either. He has 18 goals in his last 10 matches, scoring a hat-trick in four of those as he continues to make waves in the underage scene.
The Latest: Liverpool tracking Rodriguez-Gentile
The Mirror reported on Thursday afternoon that Liverpool, Manchester United and Manchester City are all tracking Rodriguez-Gentile off the back of his scintillating form for Preston's youngsters. Newcastle and Tottenham are also believed to be admirers of the teenager.
The 16-year-old has already agreed a two-year scholarship at Deepdale, which will activate next summer, but that hasn't stopped some of the Premier League's most prominent clubs from taking an interest in him.
The report adds that Lilywhites manager Ryan Lowe has hinted that the Championship club already have plans to integrate the Brazilian gem into their first-team setup 'in the near future'.
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The Verdict: The next Harvey Elliott?
Liverpool are no strangers to snapping up hugely promising teenage talents from other British clubs, having done so with the likes of Harvey Elliott (Fulham), Calvin Ramsay (Aberdeen) and Ben Doak (Celtic) in the recent past.
Any move for Rodriguez-Gentile will surely be with a view to the longer-term, particularly as he has had zero exposure to first-team football as of yet and won't turn 18 until October 2024.
However, considering that Elliott was signed at 16 and now boasts nearly 50 senior Reds appearances, a move for the Preston starlet in the near future could be a very shrewd one by the Merseyside club, with Jurgen Klopp clearly not averse to trusting in youth when he feels it is right to do so.
Hailed as a "fantastic talent" and "exciting prospect" by Lowe, who will have seen Rodriguez-Gentile first-hand, Fernandez might not be the only South American youngster for Liverpool fans to watch out for in the rumour mill over the next while.