Liverpool have been urged to ditch their interest in Leeds United star Raphinha and focus instead on Arsenal forward Gabriel Martinelli.
The Liverpool Echo reported that the 20-year-old as a target for Liverpool, with former Reds 'keeper David James recommending Gunner should be top priority.
“Gabriel Martinelli is one player who I get excited by," James said in an interview with GGRecon. "If it was a choice between Martinelli and Raphinha, I would go for Martinelli.
“He’s young and he’s got everything you need. It’s almost like a slightly rawer [Luis] Diaz, and the beauty of Diaz is that he can play basically anywhere. Martinelli obviously occupies the left a lot more. I always think that with a good environment and age, you can manipulate a player into something else, and I think Martinelli fits that criteria."
The Reds only signed Luis Diaz in January but may well look to strengthen even further in the coming months. A deal for Fulham's Fabio Carvalho broke down on January's deadline day but this is another target Klopp & Co. may want to revisit in the summer window.
Martinelli is having a strong season, having broken into the Gunners' first team to replace outgoing captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. Jurgen Klopp is a clear admirer of the Brazilian Olympic gold medalist, having previously described the striker as a "talent of the century".
Still, the Merseysiders would have their work cut out trying to sign Martinelli.
In 2020, the youngster declared in an interview with FourFourTwo that his goal was to become an Arsenal legend and those sentiments appear to still be true. Since then, he has had injury issues and faced a gradual easing into Arteta's plans – but now appears to be a key member of the side.
“We always want more. Of course, Arsenal are a giant team. If I can, I’ll stay here my whole life. I want to conquer things, as I said, I want to stay here and win titles, with these wonderful fans, my teammates,” the Brazilian said recently.
Martinelli is valued by Transfermarkt to be worth around £25m.
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