Liverpool have handed Premier League rivals Manchester United and Southampton a massive blow by winning the race for French youngster Yasser Larouci, Goal reports.

What's the word?

Impressing on-trial with Southampton and being scouted by Manchester United, Liverpool have stolen a march on their domestic rivals as the Reds are set to secure the services of Algerian-born French youngster Yasser Larouci.

The attacking midfielder is set for a move after turning down a contract with French Ligue 1 side Le Harves, where he captained the U16's team, and is tipped to follow in the footsteps of Paul Pogba, Riyad Mahrez and Dimitri Payet- all of whom were developed by the Normandy-based club.

Southampton had the youngster on-trial during December and Jose Mourinho was also keen on the attacking midfielder, who is most effective out-wide and possesses a wealth of pace and strong dribbling abilities.

Why Liverpool?

Shunning Southampton, who have a strong history of developing young talents and handing them first-team opportunities, and also rejecting Manchester United, who's chances for youngster's have decreased since Jose Mourinho took charge, Larouci will follow a number of predecessors by moving from Le Havre to Kirkby.

During Gerard Houllier's reign on Merseyside over a decade ago, Liverpool brought Florent Sinama Pongolle and Anthony Le Tallec from the French minnows- although they would perhaps not be the best examples, as both failed to succeed at Anfield.

With Le Havre playing a key-role in the developments of Pogba, Mahrez and Payet in recent years, amongst others, Liverpool could have bagged themselves a real gem- but fans will likely have to wait a while before seeing his talents.

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