Exclusive: Liverpool set sights on 'complete' 20-year-old international likened to Georginio Wijnaldum
Today at 05:45 AM
- Exclusive by Graeme Bailey
Liverpool have high hopes for the season, with the Reds fighting for the Premier League title and Spurs hoping for a top-four finish.
The Anfield outfit wasn’t particularly active on the transfer front over the summer, and they may well make up for this in the New Year.
With the January transfer window now on the horizon, Liverpool are likely to step up their groundwork with regards to new targets.
Now, according to TBR Football, Liverpool have set their sights on a young player who has been likened to the likes of Georginio Wijnaldum and Davide Frattesi.
Liverpool keeping tabs on Roma and Italy gem Niccolo Pisilli
TBR Football can reveal that Liverpool are among the clubs keeping tabs on Italian starlet Niccolo Pisilli.
The Roma midfielder has long been considered a player of huge potential, but only this year is he starting to make the breakthrough into the first-team.
The 20-year-old has played less than a dozen first-team games for the Giallorossi but that has not stopped Italian boss Luciano Spalletti fast-tracking him into the national team and he made his senior debut against Belgium earlier this month.
TBR Football can confirm that Pisilli is on the radar of a number of Premier League sides, who are aware that his current deal has less than two-years left to run.
One of those sides is Liverpool – which is interesting given that Roma are owned by new prospective Everton chief Dan Friedkin, and it will be fascinating to see if he going forward would contemplate doing deals with his new rivals.
Liverpool are not alone in their admiration and we understand Tottenham, Chelsea and Bournemouth – where former Roma sporting director Tiago Pinto is now in charge – have watched him this season.
READ MORE: Arne Slot names the 'very good' young Liverpool player with a 'bright future'
Who is Liverpool target Nicolo Pisilli?
Pisilli is a boyhood Roma fan who has come through the ranks at the Italian capital club and has made his breakthrough this season.
The 20-year-old has clocked up 10 senior appearances for the Giallorossi, of which seven have already come this season.
Leading Roma fansite Chiesa Di Totti wrote this year: “Pisilli is described as your classic number 8 midfielder- a mezz'ala who excels on both ends of the pitch.
“Pisilli reads the game well in both the offensive and defensive phases of the game. And he's often the player who transitions his side from the defensive phase to the attack.
“Pisilli times his runs well, as evidenced by his 22 Primavera goals.”
CDT also deemed him an “already complete midfielder”, likened him to Italy international Davide Frattesi, and deemed him the fifth-best youngster at Roma in 2024.
“At this stage in his career, Pisilli presents as a complete midfielder,” they wrote last year.
“His goal and assist tallies at the Primavera level show that he has what it takes to find the net regularly, but that doesn't mean that he slacks off on the defensive side of the ball.
“This ability to star offensively and defensively comes in part due to his strength on the ball and high levels of footballing IQ, suggesting that he will be ready for top-flight football sooner rather than later.”
