Liverpool sent scouts to watch £60m transfer target Alan Varela during Porto’s Champions League win over Arsenal last week, according to reports.
The 22-year-old defensive midfielder has caught the eye since joining Portuguese club Porto in August from Boca Juniors in his native Argentina.
Varela is already on the radar of top clubs and Liverpool are reportedly monitoring his situation ahead of a possible move at the end of the season.
The Argentine has made 28 appearances for Porto to date, with seven of those coming in the Champions League.
He helped Porto win four of their six group games as they finished second behind Barcelona to qualify for the last 16.
Porto have a 1-0 lead over Arsenal from the first leg ahead of their second meeting at the Emirates on March 12 – with a quarter-final spot up for grabs.
Porto captain Pepe has told his teammates they must be ‘perfect’ in the second leg to knock Arsenal out of the Champions League.
‘We got an excellent result,’ Pepe said. ‘In London it will be even harder, so we have to go in even more focused than we did today. We have to be perfect.
‘Galeno’s goal was very important, as we want to qualify for the quarter-finals. We knew it was going to be a tough game.
‘Arsenal have a lot of quality, but we put on a great performance and won with a great goal.’
