No one, not even Luis Díaz, could have imagined the kind of start he would enjoy in his first few months at Liverpool when he arrived at Anfield in January.

Díaz came to life in England like a duck to water and he thrived under the tutelage of Jürgen Klopp, giving Liverpool the extra boost they needed to dominate English football and give themselves a chance of a four-fold without previous.

The former Porto winger is not the first recent import from Portugal to find success in the Premier League. The tastes of Rúben Dias and Bruno Fernandes both excelled after coming from La Liga NOS, and the recent trend may have sharpened FSGthe appetite for more transfers in the future.

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Liverpool have a notoriously strong link and affiliation with Portuguese football. The club’s new sporting director, Julian Ward, worked in Portugal as a scout. Meanwhile, Klopp’s right-hand man Pep Lijnders worked at FC Porto before arriving at Anfield. Fellow coach Vitor Matos made the same journey from Porto when he arrived at the club in 2019.

With this knowledge, it should come as no surprise that Liverpool are exploring more opportunities in the market.

Porto’s Brazilian-born midfielder Otávio was linked with a move to Anfield even before reports started to emerge about Díaz last summer. At the time, the Reds had not moved. However, according to Portuguese outlet A’Bola, Liverpool are planning to enter the race to secure his signature again.

A player with the work ethic to meet Klopp’s pressing demands, Otávio has the kind of flair and flamboyance that once made Díaz a fan favorite at the club. His versatility is also something the Reds will admire, with Otávio capable of playing in a variety of positions in midfield as well as in attack.

Considering that Takumi Minamino could leave for new pastures, Otávio could have a similar role in the Liverpool squad, and reports in June 2021 claimed that Liverpool had even made an offer. However, FSG will face a major hurdle in any attempt to lure him to the club.

According to reports, Otávio has a £50m release clause at Porto. For this price, FSG are unlikely to enter the race, given that they mainly play in an attacking midfield position, where the club is well supplied, especially with the arrival of Fábio Carvalho.

Unless Julian Ward can work his magic a second time and convince Porto to sell for much less, just as he and Michael Edwards were able to do in the Díaz deal, Otávio’s chances of a move this summer at Anfield will remain thin.

Otávio, however, is a talent, and it’s curious that Liverpool are being linked with another Porto move so soon – not least following links with Fabio Vieira earlier in the week.