Liverpool hopeful of pursuit in South American sensation

Liverpool are hoping to overcome third-party ownership issues to sign River Plate forward Lucas Alario in a £9.5m deal, according to The Daily Mirror.

Alario, 23, has started the Primera Division in sublime form and his performances have already courted interest from Borussia Dortmund and Liverpool.

However, any potential admirers will be forced to overcome layers of red tape in order to sign the Argentinean frontman, with River owning just 30% of his economic rights, although they already have a deal in place to buy another 30% of the player in May for £950,000.

The Argentinean giants are in the process of acquiring the remaining 40% from an investment group, but they are commanding nearly £4m and Liverpool’s interest is only driving the price up further.

Despite the off-field distractions, this hasn’t had any effect on Alario’s performances in the league thus far. He is currently River’s top goalscorer in the league (4) and has the fourth best conversion rate in the league from those to have scored at least four times (36.4%).

For more stats on Lucas Alario, click here to visit his WhoScored player page