Liverpool and Man Utd set to vie for £86m pass master who could replace departing Red – report

Having beaten Manchester United to the punch to sign Cody Gakpo nearly 18 months ago, Liverpool could hope to repeat the trick in the mutual hunt for another reported transfer target.

According to reports from Spain, the eternal rivals from the northwest of England are both competing for the signature of Antonio Silva, in whom Bayern Munich are also interested.

The centre-back is expected to leave Benfica this summer, with the Portuguese club open to selling him if an offer in the region of his €100m (£86m) release clause is tabled.

With the announcement on Friday that Joel Matip will leave Liverpool at the end of this season, the Reds are likely to be on the prowl for a centre-back replacement for the Cameroonian.

Silva has been linked with a potential move to Anfield before, and he’s continued to thrive for Benfica over the past 12 months.

As per FBref, the 20-year-old ranks among the top 1% of positional peers in Europe for pass completion in that period, with an accuracy of 92.9%, while he’s also in the 95th percentile for tackles per game (2.2) and the top 10% for blocks per 90 minutes (1.63).

A scout report from Total Football Analysis has outlined the youngster’s excellent positional sense and reading of the game, while he’s also able to cover plenty of space if his team are at risk of being exposed defensively.

An intelligent centre-back who excels at the bread-and-butter duties of defending while also being composed in possession, it’s no wonder that Liverpool appear very keen on snapping up Silva as an instant Matip replacement who could be at Anfield for the long haul.

If we can repeat the Gakpo trick and steal him from under United’s noses, that’d make his prospective signing all the sweeter!