Forget Bruno Guimaraes - This is the Newcastle United player Liverpool should be trying to sign

They’re calling it ‘The Impossible Deal’. Catchy tagline. It’s the kind of name that conjures half-formed apparitions of Jurgen Klopp skulking through downtown alleyways, club merch baseball cap pulled low, gnawed toothpick hanging haphazardly from his mouth as he scuttles furtively through a rat’s maze of dumpsters and suspect puddles. Maybe his destination is the smoky back room of a Chinese casino. Maybe a mute henchman is clutching a battered leather briefcase. Maybe Darwin Nunez is parked across the street in a nondescript getaway car, just in case the whole thing goes south.

Of course, the reality is altogether more humdrum. Liverpool are said to be interested in signing Bruno Guimaraes from Newcastle United, the Brazilian is reportedly close to signing a new deal on Tyneside; it’s a decidedly ordinary predicament. The Reds, for their part, failed with a move for the midfielder during the summer transfer window, but, like a dog chasing a speeding car, are yet to fully abandon their pursuit despite the chances of success dwindling by the second. Not only is Guimaraes seemingly on the cusp on inking a contract extension in the North East, but his presence at St. James’ Park has assumed an almost talismanic quality. Bruno is the poster boy for these new, continentally-migrating Magpies.

Take it from the player himself; having scored the second in Newcastle’s 8-0 pasting of Sheffield United on Sunday afternoon, the South American celebrated raucously in front of the away end before screaming ‘I’m ****ing staying’. It was like The Wolf of Wall Street meets Auf Wiedersehen, Pet with just a pinch of Samba flair. Leonardo DiCapRio de Janeiro, anybody?

And so, while an attempt to sign Bruno might not be truly ‘impossible’ it certainly will be ‘very, very difficult’. But if Liverpool really do have their heart set on venturing up the Tyne to pull swords from stones, perhaps there is another midfielder who they should be casting a beady eye over.

Elliot Anderson is on course to enjoy a breakout campaign for his boyhood club. After flitting around on the periphery for a season or two, it would finally appear that Eddie Howe is willing to put his faith wholeheartedly in the 20-year-old - and so far his tentative inclusion has been more than vindicated.

At the time of writing, Anderson has made eight appearances across all competitions this term, with six coming from the bench. But it is in his two starts - both Premier League fixtures, firstly against Brentford and then against Sheffield United - that he has properly shone. Over the course of that brace of outings, the midfielder has averaged a match rating of 7.7, according to Whoscored, which would be enough to put him above everybody else in Newcastle’s squad were his actual overall season average not dragged down by a series of brief, steadfast cameos.

Evidently, Howe is drip-feeding Anderson into the limelight, but so far the young prospect is thriving. You would imagine that as the season progresses and as he settles further, his game time and his influence will both grow exponentially.

And as Anderson’s profile burgeons, so will the interest surrounding him. Already he appears to be at the centre of a tug of war between the respective FAs of England and Scotland, with both eager to ensure that they can secure his long-term international future. It’s easy to see why, too. Anderson carries the ball with self-assured directness, he possesses an incisive knack for distribution, and he isn’t afraid to have a crack at goal either. Whisper it, but there is a reason why several on Tyneside are making cautious comparisons to another mercurial Geordie, Paul Gascoigne.

Unlike Gazza, of course, Newcastle will be hoping to hang on to Anderson past the age of 21, but if he continues on his current trajectory, it is only a matter of time before their resolve is tested. And if there is to be a scramble for his signature at any point in the future, then Liverpool should absolutely be in amongst it.

The Reds have done well with their midfield reboot this year, but there is a feeling that another body or two wouldn’t go amiss, and what better way of strengthening an engine room than by bringing in a hugely precocious player on the upwards swing of their career - somebody who can support, grow, and one day usurp? Anderson is exactly that sort of player.

Make no mistake, this would not be an easy deal to strike, but then again, the word on the street is that Liverpool are not fazed by the impossible.