Money is not the problem. Liverpool have the appetite and, according to reports in England, the budget to table a serious offer for Gilberto Mora.

The teenager, reportedly, just happens to want to play in Spain. Mora is said to prefer continuing his career in La Liga, with Real Madrid and Barcelona among his favoured destinations. Liverpool have already made contact with his representatives, but preference is a currency the market cannot easily move.

A World Cup breakout at 17

Mora became one of the stories of the 2026 World Cup. The attacking midfielder, who plays his club football for Liga MX side Club Tijuana, featured for Mexico and started the co-hosts’ 3-0 group-stage win over Czechia, one of the youngest outfield players to start a match at a World Cup.

He had already arrived in the senior side before the tournament, becoming the youngest-ever goalscorer for Mexico’s national team when he netted the equaliser in a 1-1 draw with Colombia. This Liga MX season he has five goals and an assist in seven appearances for Tijuana, who hold him on a contract that runs until 2029.

Read also: Mitchell treated his own trade rumors as a running joke, Sam Merrill says

£40m plan, four-club shortlist

The reported fee gives a sense of how seriously Tijuana regard him. Football Insider’s figure, picked up across the English market, puts the asking price at £30m minimum and potentially rising to £40m, with the Liga MX club understood to want performance-based clauses tying them to any future profit.

Liverpool are not alone in watching. Real Madrid, Barcelona, Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich have all been linked with the Mexican, giving Tijuana an enviable list of serious bidders rather than a single lane to negotiate down.

Barcola, then a teenager?

The context on Merseyside is a summer window Liverpool used to spend heavily. The club completed the £123m signing of France winger Bradley Barcola from PSG, their second-most expensive deal ever. A £40m move for a 17-year-old would sit at the opposite end of the recruitment ladder, closer to the elite-youth strategy that recent reports have described as a growing priority.

Timing matters. Mora turns 18 on 14 October, lifting the FIFA ban on European clubs signing minors from outside the EU. A January move is considered unlikely in current reporting, with Tijuana pointing towards next summer as the realistic exit window.

Read also: Henry’s message to Liverpool on £123m Barcola: ‘He did not choose his price’

By then Liverpool will know whether their pitch has shifted the player’s preference, or whether the Mexican heads for a Spanish destination that already has his attention.

Read also: City knew in July, spent £450m, appealed on Thursday night