Premiership beckons for Tenerife youngster
A young Tenerife footballer is on the wanted list of Premiership giants Liverpool.
Manager Rafael Benitez has been tracking the progress of 19-year-old right-sided winger/midfielder Iriome González González through the youth ranks of the island team for a number of years.
But Iriome does not believe he is ready for a big-time move to the Pemiership so early in his career and has thus far resisted the Merseyside overtures.
The Anfield boss was hoping to persuade the highly-rated 6ft 1in teenager to join the Reds in the summer for a fee of around £1.5million.
A number of other leading European clubs also thought to be interested in the CD Tenerife youngster.
Iriome has only recently forced his way into the Spanish Second Division side’s line-up, though Benitez has been aware of his potential for many years.
Benitez has strong connections with Tenerife’s top team, managing them in the 2000/01 season at the start of a mercurial rise in his fortunes. The following season he took charge at Valencia, leading them to the Spanish League championship in his first season and a league and UEFA Cup double in 2003/04.
Young Iriome has yet to complete the 10 games that Spanish regulations require for him to qualify for a professional contract. He broke into the first team just before Christmas and scored the decisive goal for his team in their 2-1 victory over Almeria at the end of January.
Iriome hails from Icod de los Vinos in the north of Tenerife, a town better known for its production of quality red wines rather than top notch footballers.