Liverpool are believed to have contacted a club in Argentina regarding their interest in a South American defender.
La Voz has reported comments from Talleres president Andrés Fassi that the Rojos have approached them to request information about Kevin Mantilla.
The club boss said of Merseyside’s interest in the 20-year-old: “It’s true. They have been following him for four months and asked us for information about his physical history.”
Initial rumors about Liverpool’s admiration for the 6ft 4in Colombian centre-back, who is also a target for Brighton, emerged over the festive period, when Ekrem Konur reported.
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It was only last summer that Mantilla joined Talleres from Santa Fe in his homeland, so the Argentine club may not have wanted to lose the player so soon after acquiring him.
Then again, they snapped him up for a paltry 1.8 million euros (£1.55 million), so they could make a huge profit on him if he goes to the English Premier League, where, by comparison, each team has a huge budget.
The defender stood out with Colombia in the South American U-20 a year ago and has been capped 23 times in that category, although he has not yet played with his country’s senior team and has only played 43 games in first-team football ( Transfermarkt
Although Liverpool have had numerous players from that continent in recent times, they rarely buy directly from clubs on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean, so it would be a notable transaction if they acquire Mantilla from Talleres.
However, with their chairman publicly confirming the Reds’ interest, it appears there may be substance to this transfer story, so it’s worth keeping an eye on over the coming weeks and months.
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