Liverpool Face Spanish Competition for Barcelona Superkid

Liverpool are facing a fight with Spanish club Valencia to sign Barcelona's highly rated young winger Gerard Deulofeu.

Reports from Spain suggest Deulofeu, who is currently playing for Barcelona B, believes there is little chance of breaking into the full squad at the Nou Camp and wants to move elsewhere to further his career.

Last week the Times claimed Liverpool have joined the race for Deulofeu, with manager Brendan Rodgers keen to augment his contingent of bright young Spanish stars.

However, Catalan newspaper Sport believes Valencia are equally keen to add Deulofeu to their squad, believing the skilful young Spaniard possesses the quality to arrest their recent decline.

Just three years ago the Valencia team boasted Juan Mata, David Villa and David Silva, however chronic financial problems forced the club to sell their prized attacking trio - and results on the pitch have been slipping ever since.

Last season the Mediterranean club finished outside the Champions League places in La Liga, and are desperate to reinforce their squad for a renewed challenge next season.

However, Rodgers will be confident that, having assembled a phalanx of young Spaniards including recent signings Iago Aspas and Luis Alberto, he will be able to sell his Anfield project to Deulofeu as well.

Meanwhile French defender Mamadou Sakho, one of the most highly rated young centre-backs in Europe, has confirmed that Rodgers is interested in signing him.

As reported by IBTimes UK earlier, Sakho has become frustrated by his own lack of first-team opportunities at PSG, and the 23-year-old French international is thought to view Anfield as a potential destination.

Liverpool have already signed defender Kolo Toure and goalkeeper Simon Mignolet, as well as the Spanish duo of Aspas and Alberto, for a combined total of nearly £23m this summer, as Rodgers seeks to improve on last season's seventh-place finish.