Transfer Rumour: Liverpool beat Manchester United and Southampton to Yasser Larouci

Liverpool are reportedly all set to beat Manchester United and Southampton to the acquisition of highly rated French teenager Yasser Larouci.

Melissa Reddy, in an exclusive for Goal, has revealed that Liverpool are on the brink of agreeing a deal to sign French teenager Yasser Larouci. The highly rated teenager was being scouted by Manchester United and even had trials with Southampton in recent months.

Yasser Larouci is one of the rising names in France, having made an impression at Le Havre’s academy, the club that is credited with the early stages of development of Manchester United stalwart Paul Pogba.

Considered as a prodigious talent in his country, the Algeria-born youngster predominantly plays out on the wings, and is also considered to be a superb playmaker. Apart from his ever improving abilities on the ball, Larouci also has a dangerous burst of pace.

#LFC close to adding France youth international Yasser Larouci to their academy.https://t.co/HZoGzTDwDQ pic.twitter.com/D0suJK1Hth

— Melissa Reddy (@MelissaReddy_) February 18, 2017

In addition to that, the 16-year-old is also a strong dribbler and has a bag full of tricks to be a constant threat in and around the opposition box. Having made such a great impression at Le Havre’s youth ranks, Larouci was noticed by several clubs across Europe, and particularly top clubs in England.

Having captained the Ligue 2 club’s under-16 side, Larouci subsequently turned down a contract offer from the French side and had been without a club for some time. Southampton took him on trial in December, while Jose Mourinho also had scouts sent to monitor his progress on several instances.

However, it now looks like Liverpool have stolen a march on two of their Premier League rivals, with the Reds set to complete the signing of Larouci soon. The teenager will be joining Liverpool’s academy at Kirby, and is set to be a top addition in the club’s youth setup.

Larouci has also shown that he is adept at playing a high pressing game while possessing superior work rate, two qualities that Jurgen Klopp admires in his players, and the Liverpool boss is sure to keep a close eye on his progress as soon as he joins up with the club.

Larouci will be the first signing from Le Havre since Florent Sinama Pongolle and Anthony Le Tallec were recruited under Gerard Houllier. It will be interesting to see how the highly rated teenage prodigy develops at the Merseyside club in the years to come.