Trio told to bid for 'new Ronaldo'

Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester United have been told they will have to stump up around £14 million to sign Lucas Ocampos from River Plate.

The teenage sensation, who has been dubbed the 'new Ronaldo', has been tracked by the leading Barclays Premier League clubs for a number of months.

Originally River Plate had claimed they would not listen to any offers until they were promoted back to the Argentine top flight, however, they are now contemplating a January deal.

The club has already rejected a £15 million bid for the 17-year-old from Inter Milan.

Current Chelsea boss Andre Villas-Boas and his mentor Jose Mourinho, who is now in charge at Real Madrid, are also expected to table an offer for Ocampos when the January transfer window opens.

However, Liverpool are thought to be leading the race to sign the 6ft 2ins star as they have good links in South America after signing Sebastian Coates in the summer.

Kenny Dalglish is also rumoured to be tracking the progress of Chilean forward Eduardo Vargas, with Arsenal also in the race for the striker.

While Manchester United are keeping tabs on Ocampos, Sir Alex Ferguson has a shopping list for the January transfer window, which is rumoured to include Milos Krasic, Nicolas Gaitan and Javi Martinez.

Source: Metro  

This story has been reproduced from today's media. It does not necessarily represent the position of Liverpool Football Club.