Liverpool identify 'Robertson successor' at the Olympics as Joe Gomez makes call

Liverpool are eyeing Argentinian Olympic starlet Julio Soler as a potential replacement for Andy Robertson.

Scottish full-back Robertson is now 30 years old and has been suffering with injuries in recent times, much like his current back-up Konstantinos Tsimikas.

The Paris Games are the perfect place for a prodigy to stand out. And Arne Slot might look to recruit 19-year-old Club Atletico Lanus talent Soler as his first summer signing.

Despite club veteran Joe Gomez being more than capable of filling the left-back position, the decision has seemingly been made to get a new man in. This hasn't swayed Gomez, however, who is believed to have pledged his allegiances to the Reds amid talk of a move to Newcastle.

Soler joined his current club Lanus’ academy at age nine and made his senior debut in 2022. Born in Paraguay but a representative of Argentina, he earned his first pro contract just a year later and is tied-up until 2026.

Despite playing scarcely for Argentina’s Under-20s, he was called up to Javier Mascherano's squad for the Olympic Games, replacing Brighton’s Valentina Barco - who was denied participation by his club.

Soler has been one of the Games' standout stars, impressing with his speed. He started all three of his nation's group games and registered an assist in their opening match against eventual group winners Morocco.

La Albiceleste progressed after finishing second in their group, making it all the way to the quarter-finals, where they faced France. Soler was rested for the match, and despite coming off the bench, the French sent Argentina packing.

Valued at a reported £13million, the defender has been scouted by Liverpool as a long-term replacement for Robertson, according to TYC Sports. Englishman Gomez could have hoped that position could have been his. But the 27-year-old will still have a part to play under Slot, regardless.

According to The Times, Gomez has pledged he will remain at Liverpool this summer. It was revealed that the £45m-rated defender could be included in a potential deal for Newcastle's Anthony Gordon.

This move collapsed, however, with the Magpies not needing to sell and Liverpool not wanting to meet their excessive valuation, which supposedly rose to as much as £100m.

If Soler is to sign, he would not immediately improve the Reds' first team, and Slot has yet to make any form of signing this window. Yet, the club's pre-season results, including a 3-0 win against rivals Manchester United, perhaps indicate that they are in good hands already.

"Of course, the results, that's where everybody is looking at," Slot said after their United win. "But players stayed fit, and they can perform in the way we want, so [a] high-intensity game. We saw some great goals during this tour and some great build-up situations, and I see them working really, really hard not to concede.

"Like I said, today I think we gave away too many chances, United deserved more than a 3-0 loss. But it's also our quality that we do score our own chances."