Liverpool and Manchester United have been handed a boost in their reported pursuit of Celta Vigo prodigy Gabri Veiga - with the president of the La Liga club admitting they will be forced to sell the midfielder this summer.
Veiga has been linked with moves to both Anfield and Old Trafford in recent months as his stock has risen exponentially due to his fine form in the Spanish top flight, where he has featured in all bar one of the Sky Blues' games.
But despite the 20-year-old being contracted at the Estadio de Balaidos until the summer of 2026, Celta's president, Carlos Mourino, has accepted there is little chance of keeping the rising star.
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"We don’t want him to leave but I know of the offers he has received and it is impossible for us to pay this money to keep him in our club," said Mourino. "The choice will be with the player and we accept that but the club that wants Gabri will have to pay the buyout clause in June.”
Earlier this month, The Mirror claimed Man United were leading the race for Veiga and have already sent scouts to watch him six times this season. Liverpool, Newcastle United and Manchester City, meanwhile, are all said to be keeping a close eye on how his situation developments between now and the end of the season, with his release clause said to be in the region of £35m.
If he was to move to Liverpool, Veiga would follow in the footsteps of fellow Spain youth international Stefan Bajcetic The 18-year-old Spaniard joined the Reds in December 2020 just days before the introduction of strict new Brexit regulations for players under the age of 18.
At the time, United had been hopeful of sealing a deal for Bajcetic but, according to the player's former coach Alex Otero, Liverpool was the only place the midfielder and his father saw as a suitable alternative to his boyhood club Celta Vigo.
Speaking exclusively to the ECHO in January, Otero recalled the details of Bajcetic's transfer to Merseyside: "Manchester United, Liverpool and Real Madrid called him, but for his father the only option was Liverpool in this case..
"You need to feel something, Real Madrid and Barcelona you can just be another player. Liverpool wanted Stefan and not just any player from Celta Vigo."
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