Liverpool have taken the lead in the race for 21-year-old star Gabri Veiga this summer, amid reports that both Arsenal and Newcastle are also interested in the breakout star.
Veiga scored twice against Barcelona on the final day of the season as his Celta Vigo side ensured their top flight survival with a win over the La Liga Champions, and has burst onto the scene this season, with those two strikes taking his total tally to 11 for the campaign.
Celta Vigo do not want to sell the Spaniard, but there is an acceptance that he will leave the club due to the 40m euro release clause that is written into his contract with the Spanish side, and though Real Madrid have left the race for the midfielder there is expectation that Premier League clubs will scramble for the impressive youngster.
“We do not want to sell him under any circumstances but they are going to buy him from us. He will decide where he wants to go but that club will have to pay the clause”, Celta Vigo’s president Carlos Mourino explained.
Only two U21 midfielders have scored 10+ league goals in a top-five European division this season:
◎ Jamal Musiala
◉ Gabri VeigaCelta’s hometown hero. ✨ pic.twitter.com/wAYsEe3oHk
— Squawka (@Squawka) June 4, 2023
According to Spanish outlet Relevo, it is Liverpool that have moved ahead of the competition in the race to sign the Spaniard, with Veiga ‘seduced by the commitment to the youngsters’ that Jurgen Klopp has shown in recent seasons, which has seen the likes of Curtis Jones, Stefan Bajcetic and Trent Alexander-Arnold all break into the first team.
Now in the closing stages of tying up a deal for Brighton midfielder Alexis Mac Allister, all eyes will be on Liverpool’s next move as they look to overhaul their midfielder this summer, and should Relevo be proved correct, they could soon be activating Veiga’s release clause.
