Liverpool are in talks with Derby County over 16-year-old midfielder Kaide Gordon.
The versatile attacking midfielder is also attracting interest from both Manchester United and Tottenham, but the Reds feel they can win the race to sign the highly-rated teen.
Gordon cannot sign professional terms until later this year but Liverpool are confident they can bring the England youth international to Kirkby.
The club's recent record of blooding youngsters for Jurgen Klopp's first team has been excellent and Anfield officials are hopeful that could be a deciding factor at the negotiating table.
The ECHO understands the Premier League champions would be paying around £1million if they can convince Gordon and his family that his future lies at Anfield.
It is also believed that add-ons could take the deal up to around the £3m mark as they continue to scour the country for the game's brightest young talents.
A deal has yet to be finalised between the two parties, but Liverpool are confident they can add Gordon to a talented roster of young hopefuls at the Kirkby Academy.
Gordon made his senior debut for the Rams as a substitute in the 4-0 win against Birmingham at the end of December, becoming the fourth youngest player in Derby's history in the process.
He has featured as part of the Derby match-day squad regularly since making his Championship debut and club staff have high hopes for the 16-year-old.
Derby manager Wayne Rooney admitted that the club have always anticipated interest in Gordon from higher up the football pyramid.
Rooney said: "Kaide is a fantastic player and he has got a lot of potential.
"He has come through the academy. He is 16, he has got a lot of development to do and he is definitely at the right place to do that.
"Of course there will be interest in Kaide because he is a fantastic player, so we expect there to be interest in him.
"We can control what we are doing at this football club, but we can't control if other teams make bids for our players."
Derby's ongoing financial woes mean any deal could be easier to secure for the Reds who have added a handful of teenagers to their ranks over the past two years.
Last month, Liverpool signed Calum Scanlon from Birmingham City before adding Stefan Bajcetic from Celta Vigo.
