Liverpool close to Gomez deal

Liverpool are close to securing the signature of highly-rated 18-year-old Joe Gomez from Charlton. The young centre-back has been attracting interest from all over Europe with clubs like Borussia Dortmund, Hoffenheim, Arsenal and Manchester City all keen on signing the 18-year-old however it is understood that Gomez’s preferred choice is Liverpool and a deal could be completed as early as next week.

The negotiations are now at an advanced stage and although many reports had claimed that the Reds were hoping to agree a fee of around £3.5m, it is now likely that the fee will be worth up to £6m as the deal will have a number of performance-related add-ons.

Rumours have suggested that Gomez could return to Charlton on-loan, or another Championship club. However, Gomez’s camp are confident that the 18-year-old centre-back can prove himself as an unlikely candidate for the Liverpool first-team during pre-season.

Most importantly for the Reds is that the player is very interested in joining Liverpool and according to the Echo is already preparing for his move to Merseyside. A crucial factor behind his decision is manager Brendan Rodgers who he believes can help him develop as a player in the coming years as he aims to fight his way into the Liverpool first-team in the next few seasons.

It is understood that Gomez has been on the Liverpool radar for three years now as, Dave Fallows, the head of recruitment, and Barry Hunter, the chief scout, have been very key in striking a deal with Gomez and his agent. Rodgers has also been informed of the youngsters ability by Sean O’Driscoll who has coached him at U19 level for England.

The tall, strong and speedy centre-back is versatile in the defensive positions as he can also be deployed as a right-back. He has enjoyed a breakthrough season for Charlton, making 24 appearances and impressing fans, coaches and many clubs all over Europe who have been monitoring him closely in recent months. The 18-year-old idolises Rio Ferdinand, “I always looked up to Ferdinand when I was younger because he was an English centre-back at the top level – plus he was a ball-playing one too.”

Gomez is likely to replace the outbound Sebastian Coates, at Liverpool, who is closing in on a deal with Sunderland permanently. For his age and ability, the transfer fee is pretty decent and not very demanding either. With only a seasons worth of experience under his belt, it is unlikely that he will be thrown in at the deep-end. Maybe a few years of development out on-loan could benefit the 18-year-old however Gomez’s camp believe he is ready for the challenge of top tier football and what it offers.