Liverpool have reportedly made a bid exceeding $50 million for Club Tijuana's Gilberto Mora — a 17-year-old who turns 18 next week and has played six Liga MX matches this season. That's the situation at Anfield right now.
The report comes from TUDN host David Faitelson, who cited sources inside the Mexican national team setup and claimed the offer was delivered through Mora's representative, Brazilian agent Rafaela Pimenta. "There's an offer from an English club, in this case Liverpool, for a record-breaking sum exceeding $50 million," Faitelson stated. That's around £37 million at current rates — a record fee in Mexican football history.
What this says about Wirtz
The subtext here is uncomfortable for Liverpool. Florian Wirtz arrived last summer as the club's record signing at £116 million. He has zero goals and one assist in the Premier League this season. Zero.
There's context, of course. Arne Slot's system didn't suit a lot of his players last term, and adapting to the Premier League takes time. Andoni Iraola is now in the dugout and Jurgen Klopp has taken over Germany, so the conditions around Wirtz have changed. But when a club is reportedly willing to spend another £37 million on a teenager to play the same position, it signals something — either a lack of faith, a hedge, or both.
Dominik Szoboszlai has been floated as an option to push forward, but Liverpool's thin midfield depth makes that a non-starter. Mora would give them a genuine alternative at the 10 or on the left wing — and within three years of signing, he'd qualify as homegrown under Premier League rules. That last part matters more than it sounds for a squad navigating squad registration limits.
Who is Gilberto Mora?
Mora is not just a name being thrown around. He became the second-youngest player in Mexican history to appear at a World Cup this summer, and since returning to Tijuana, he's scored five Liga MX goals with one assist. He's quick, direct, comfortable with either foot, and has shown the kind of dribbling ability that gets scouts on planes.
The parallels with Wirtz — technically gifted, attack-minded, capable of operating as a 10 or a wide forward — are obvious. Whether that's Liverpool signing a plan B or quietly beginning to reconsider their main plan altogether is the real question hanging over this deal.
At £37 million for a 17-year-old from Liga MX, the risk is real. But if the Wirtz experiment keeps producing nothing, the pressure to act will only grow — and Mora's odds of landing in England are shortening by the day.
