The number of Brazilian attacking midfielders at either Liverpool or Chelsea is set to grow by one, either this month or in the summer as Shakhtar Donetsk playmaker Alex Teixeira has confirmed that he wants to move to the Premier League after offers from both clubs.
Teixeira has become hot property for his performances in the Champions League with Shakhtar, much like Chelsea's Willian and Bayern Munich's Douglas Costa in recent seasons, and although the Brazilian has confirmed that both clubs have made good offers for him, he has not given any suggestion as to which club he would prefer to join.
With Chelsea facing an extremely tough task to qualify for European football this season, Liverpool will hope that the allure of playing under Jurgen Klopp is enough to convince Teixeira to join compatriots Philippe Coutinho and Roberto Firmino at Anfield.
Talking to Globo Esporte on Friday, Teixeira said:
I would like to move in this transfer window and have told them [Shakhtar] that. They have received a very good offer and they are working on a solution. But if I don’t go now then I will leave in the summer. After six years in Europe and with Shakhtar we are ready to move and I have spoken to my wife and daughter.
It is my desire to move to a big league and I know that the English league is very strong. I am ready and I know that I will grow up a lot there. I am aware that two big clubs such as Liverpool and Chelsea are interested but I haven’t given my word to either of them.
I am not ruling out other leagues but I do want to play in the Premier League. In my mind, it is the strongest in the world. I want a challenge and to further my career there. My aim is to move to a big club so that I can well there and get a place in the Brazil squad. Everyone knows that it is hard to achieve and I need to leave here to achieve that goal.
That is actually refreshing considering the tenuous links that we see for transfer news these days. Here is a player saying that he wants to move, that two clubs are in for him, and that it's up to his current club to negotiate.
As we enter the last week of the transfer window it will be interesting to see if a move does materialise, but time is running out and Shakhtar will not be keen to let one of their star players leave on the cheap.
