Liverpool are reportedly interested in Colombian centre-back Kevin Mantilla, and their club president has confirmed the rumors are “true”.
The Reds scout players from around the world as they search for the next hidden talent who could become a Kop favourite.
One player who has been linked to Liverpool is Colombian youth international Mantilla, who plays as a centre-back for CA Talleres in the Argentine top flight.
Liverpool’s interest was first reported in February 2023, but it seemed like nothing more than a rumour: that was when he was playing for Independiente Santa Fe.
Then, at the end of January 2023, journalist Ekrem Konur said: “Liverpool and Brighton are monitoring the situation of the 20-year-old from CA Talleres.”
Little attention was paid to the claim at the time, but Talleres club president Andrés Fassi has now admitted that the rumor was “true”.
According to Argentine regional media La Voz del Interior, Fassi said: “It’s true, they’ve been following him for four months. And they asked us for information about their physical records.”
However, as to whether Talleres plans to sell Mantilla, Fassi responded: “No.”
Liverpool rarely buy directly from South American clubs. More recently, the Reds were heavily linked with Fluminense’s André, but in the end nothing happened on that front.
Anderson Arroyo was a player Liverpool eventually signed from Colombian club Fortaleza CEIF in 2018, but he has yet to feature for the Reds as he has been unable to secure a work permit in the UK.
Mantilla has played 23 times for Colombia U20, including five matches at the U20 World Cup, but it remains to be seen whether that would be enough to secure a work permit in the UK.
An interesting point to add is that Mantilla is a left-footed centre-back, something that coincides with other defenders Liverpool have been linked with, such as Levi Colwill and Lloyd Kelly.
