Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp could be poised to enrich his central ranks by swooping for one of Europe's most coveted prospects in Celta Vigo's Gabri Veiga.
What's the latest on Gabri Veiga to Liverpool?
At least, that's according to transfer specialist Fabrizio Romano, who recently took to Twitter to reaffirm that Liverpool are "informed on the conditions" of a move for the 21-year-old, who has a buyout clause of €40m (£34m) with the Sky Blues.
Newcastle – while Romano quashed claims that a deal had been concluded – remain firmly in the race for the dynamic midfielder and boast the allure of Champions League football next year to entice Veiga, something Liverpool cannot offer next term.
Despite this, Klopp's Reds have been reported to be 'firm favourites' for the Spaniard's signature by the Northern Echo, and there is a sense that the race will enter the crucial stages over the coming weeks.
How good is Gabri Veiga?
The Spain U21 international has been riding the crest of a wave this season after plundering 11 goals and four assists from just 28 starting appearances in LaLiga.
Only last year, he plied his trade in the Spanish third tier before earning a call-up to Celta Vigo's senior side, playing seven top-flight matches, and now looks set for a career of great prosperity at the highest level.
Should he join the crowd at Liverpool, he will be provided with a platform to flourish and cement a prominent role in Klopp's system, with James Milner, Naby Keita and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain all departing upon the expiry of their contracts this summer.
And given his box-surging style of play draws parallels to the latter, Oxlade-Chamberlain, he could prove to be an almighty upgrade on the injury-stricken England international, who has been riddled with setbacks over the past few seasons after looking so promising during the early phases of his Merseyside career following his £35m switch from Arsenal.
The one-time Southampton youngster averages 1.2 shots and 1.7 dribbles per game across the duration of his professional career, as per WhoScored, also completing 81.8% of his passes and once being lauded for his ball-carrying prowess and offering "something totally different" by Rio Ferdinand, but his inhibition has resulted in nothing more than a peripheral role over the past few years.
Suffocating pressure and high-octane intensity are staple points of Klopp's system when it is firing on all cylinders, and Veiga, who has been hailed as a "top talent" by Romano, certainly looks like he embodies this.
As per FBref, the prodigy ranks among the top 1% of midfielders across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for rate of non-penalty goals, the top 2% for total shots, the top 20% for rate of assists, the top 12% for both progressive carries and successful take-ons, and the top 11% for touches in the opposing box per 90.
Dubbed "baby Kaka" by football content creator Rimedi, Veiga wields the whole gamut of tools to craft a formidable career path for himself, and under Klopp's wing, he could be the destructive midfield force needed to rekindle the once burning furnace that was the nucleus of Liverpool's illustrious success.
