Speaking exclusively to FootballFanCast, former Liverpool striker turned Sky Sports pundit Neil Mellor has delivered his verdict on the future of Rhian Brewster at Anfield.

The 20-year-old striker has been linked with an exit from the club having struggled to break into the first-team setup under Jurgen Klopp.

It's thought that several Premier League rivals are keen on signing him this transfer window, the Daily Mail going as far as claiming that Crystal Palace are leading the charge whilst Sheffield United and West Bromwich Albion are also linked with moves.

The Reds, according to the report, would like to sell Brewster on for £20m but will insist on putting a sell-on clause within any deal, which opens up the possibility of a return one day.

The England U17 World Cup winner has only made four senior appearances for Liverpool since his debut back in September 2019 and went out on loan to the Championship in order to gain valuable match experience.

During 22 appearances for Swansea City, Brewster delivered 11 goals, averaging 2.5 shots and 1.8 times fouled per game, via WhoScored.

And Mellor is a huge fan of the young goalscoring sensation, he said:

"Yeah, I mean, I really like Rhian Brewster. I have followed him all the way through. Unfortunately for him, he had a really serious injury, which was put him back slightly.

"He's had that game time and you think you needed in the Championship last year at Swansea, and really stood out. He's a goal scorer, he scores goals."

Perhaps it's rather telling that the likes of Curtis Jones and Harvey Elliott are on the fringes of the first-team with the former being named on the bench during Sunday's 2-0 win over Chelsea.

Mellor believes the Reds' youth setup is in its strongest ever position, the LFC TV pundit added:

"What I would say is the academy at Liverpool is probably in the best position has ever been in terms of the connection it has with the first team. I don't think that that bond has ever been as close as it is.

"We've seen Trent Alexander Arnold break into the first team in recent seasons, Curtis Jones, who's certainly on the fringes at the moment and got game time in the match they won against Leeds United. Harvey Elliot, as well there's another exciting young player coming through, so I think the academy may see those examples and think there's hope that I can perhaps have a pathway to get into the first thing."

But should Klopp stick or twist on Brewster? Could Liverpool soon have a similar situation to fellow U17 World Cup winner Jadon Sancho? He left Manchester City for Borussia Dortmund and after contributing to 80 goals in 101 appearances, he's become one of the most exciting young players in Europe.

Although Mellor doesn't think this would be the case, especially with the Reds looking to cover themselves by including a clause to bring him back to Anfield one day.

He said:

"Rhian Brewster is an outstanding talent and if Liverpool do decide to go out and loan or even sell him, then I'm sure there'll be something in place that if Rhian does fulfil that potentially he has, because I think he's an outstanding player, there will be a possibility to come back to Liverpool again one day.

"Rather than what we've seen with [Jadon] Sancho when he left Man City, and now he's, you know, close to £80m to £100m. That won't happen with Rhian Brewster, I think the way Liverpool do any deal will mean that if he becomes a top player - obviously I hope he does - then there'll be a chance to come back to Liverpool."

With a little over two weeks to go in the transfer window, this saga will undoubtedly rumble on but whether or not Brewster leaves temporarily or permanently very much remains to be seen.

AND in other news, Liverpool must turn mooted interest in "aggressive" £50m colossus into a real bid...