Liverpool submit formal offer to sign 23-year-old South American midfielder

Liverpool are reportedly working to sign the Porto midfielder Alan Varela.

According to journalist Luis Fregossi from Mundo Boca Radio, Liverpool have submitted a formal offer to sign the 23-year-old defensive midfielder from Porto and the Argentine international is expected to join the club before the window closes.

Liverpool have been working on the transfer for a while and they made their first enquiry back in April. Varela is highly rated across Europe and he could prove to be a quality acquisition for Liverpool.

It is no surprise that they are looking to sign a quality defensive midfielder this summer. They used Alexis Mac Allister in the anchor role last season, but the Argentine international is more suited to the role of an advanced central midfielder.

The Reds are yet to bring in a quality replacement for Fabinho and Varela would be a solid long-term investment. Although Liverpool signed Wataru Endo from Stuttgart last season and the Japanese international did reasonably well, they need to invest in a player with more quality if they want to compete for major trophies.

Alan Varela would transform Liverpool

Varela has shown his quality in Portuguese football and he has the physical and technical attributes to do well in the Premier League as well. He has all the tools to develop into a top class player and he could transform Liverpool in the midfield.

He will help protect the Liverpool defensive unit and allow the creative players to operate with more freedom.

The opportunity to join a big club like Liverpool will be quite attractive for the South American midfielder as well, and he will look to hit the ground running in the Premier League. It remains to be seen whether Liverpool can finalise the transfer before the window closes later today.

Liverpool will be hoping to compete for major trophies this season and they need to plug the weaknesses in their squad before the transfer window slams shut.