Liverpool tracking defender who could go for 'at least £100m' as secrets of scouting teams explained

If Liverpool's success in the transfer market in recent years has often appeared like a club with the Midas touch, the reality has been much more complex behind the scenes.

Fewer things are more fraught with the potential for mistakes and missteps in modern football than recruitment and for a club like Liverpool, whose resources don't always stretch as far as their direct rivals, it often requires smarter thinking and harder working to keep them ahead of the curve at that level.

As you would expect for a club of its size, the Reds scout players from all over the world and are generally assessing a large number from most leagues at any given time. It can be a source of frustration for those doing the job at times when their presence at games across Europe is revealed as a result.

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While it always intrigues supporters to hear what games the club have dispatched their talent-spotters to, those working in the field itself will counter that they are simply doing their job and therefore it is not worthy of coverage or analysis. In an age that is becoming increasingly in thrall to the idea of transfers, however, it does allow fans to begin dreaming up just what players might be on the shortlists.

Scouts rarely go to a game with a view to watching one player specifically, though. If someone representing Liverpool attends a Ligue 1 or La Liga match, for example, it is to cast a critical eye over a number of potential prospects and occasionally those involved are spotted through chance as opposed to any long-term or wider strategy.

Checks on the on-loan Pedro Chirivella, while at