Everton Ribeiro
Reuters

Liverpool are considering a move to sign Manchester United midfield target Everton Ribeiro, according to the Daily Mail.

The 24-year-old has been linked with a €8m move to Old Trafford after he made no secret of his desire to play for the Premier League champions. Ribeiro was named Brazil's player of the year by the Brazilian Football Confederation.

The attacking midfielder has been an integral part of Cruzeiro, which won the Campeonato Mineiro this season. The Daily Mail reports that the Merseyside club have sent their scouts to Brazil to watch Ribeiro in action for his club.

Ribeiro has not featured for Brazil at the senior level and with one more game remaining in the domestic competition, the midfielder could make a move away from Cruzeiro in the January transfer window.

Brendan Rodgers is looking to further strengthen the Liverpool squad in January, despite bringing new faces to Anfield in the summer. The Northern Irishman has admitted that the Reds lack depth in the squad and he would be looking to make a signing to improve the first team.

David Moyes had a poor summer transfer window as United missed out on midfield targets.

Ribeiro has his heart set to play for Moyes' side. However, Cruzeiro's director of football Alexandre Mattos has admitted that the club has not received any offers from United, leaving the door open for Liverpool to make an approach in the winter transfer window.

"There are no offers, just speculation. Everton Ribeiro said he dreams of playing for Manchester United, then people started talking, and they said he would cost €8 million [£6.7m] - that makes no sense," Mattos told Globo Esporte.

"We turned down a €10m [£8.3m] offer [from a club in the Middle East] for the percentage we own and that happened halfway through the season. Cruzeiro doesn't want to let any player go. On the contrary, we want to bring in more players and that's not me talking, the president said that."

"Of course we are responsible, and if an absurd offer for Everton Ribeiro or any other player comes, we have to sell," Cruzeiro's director of football concluded.