Liverpool has supposedly taken an interest in teenage Greek striker Stefanos Tzimas. Not only that, but the Reds are thought to be in the driving seat for a transfer — but they could ultimately come up against a frustratingly familiar problem.

Any deal for Tzimas, 19, would have a novel structure. He is currently a PAOK player, but loan side Nurnberg has the option to trigger a buy clause, and could do so as early as this month.

As such, Liverpool is believed to be negotiating with the German side, seeking to tempt it into accepting a near-instant profit after triggering the clause. Florian Plettenberg says that negotiations have begun over a summer transfer — although Arne Slot would presumably prefer to strengthen in January, especially amid reports that Darwin Nunez could leave Anfield.

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Whether a deal for Tzimas could be accelerated remains to be seen. Either way, it looks like a guaranteed payday for Nurnberg; it will buy the teenager for $18.5m (£15m), and will ask for $25m (£21m) plus add-ons.

There will be no shortage of suitors around that price point. Liverpool is thought to be at the front of the pack, but Chelsea, Brighton, Aston Villa and lots of Bundesliga clubs are also attentive.

However, even assuming Liverpool does win the race, Michael Edwards will still be braced to have a battle on his hands sooner or later. That's because Tzimas has previously revealed his dream club.

In an interview with Kicker, he expressed his desire to play in the Premier League. But he added that he "always supports Barcelona" in the Clasico against Real Madrid.

That, Edwards might feel, is how it starts. Unfortunately, he is all too familiar with players casting admiring glances at Barcelona.

Exactly how long the Nou Camp can retain its glamor and appeal remains to be seen, with its financial situation currently preventing it from even registering Dani Olmo to play. But for the time being, it remains the ultimate dream destination for a raft of professionals.

South Americans are particularly prone to an ambition to one day play for Barcelona. But nobody is immune — it wasn't long ago that Robert Lewandowski made a high-profile move, for example.

At Liverpool, the name that immediately springs to mind is Philippe Coutinho. Frankly, he should be a cautionary tale, but perhaps it's a necessary condition of being an elite footballer that you assume you can be the exception and go on to do greater things in Catalonia.

Since then, nobody else has swapped Anfield for the Nou Camp. That's thanks in part to a clause Edwards put in place as part of the Coutinho deal, levying a huge premium on future transfer activity.

That showed just how aware Edwards was of the transfer threat of Barcelona. But the clause is now long since expired, and Luis Diaz is the next cause for potential concern.

The Colombian's father has spoken openly about the possibility of a move. He claims his son is a "loyal Barcelona fan", a factor which is bound to influence contract talks as Diaz approaches the final two years of his current deal.

Naturally, this wouldn't be enough to put Liverpool off a move for Tzimas. The Coutinho transfer certainly ended up working in the Reds' favor, Diaz has been an astute addition regardless of what happens next, and the Greek youngster would no doubt need to be a hit at Anfield too in order to attract interest from Barcelona.

But if nothing else, the Liverpool hierarchy will be growing weary of this particular transfer trend. The Reds have been the more successful club over the past half-decade or more, thrice reaching the Champions League final, and this seemingly never-ending cycle of fending off Barcelona is getting more than a little tedious.

Liverpool.com says: Truth be told, the quotes from Tzimas are pretty innocuous, and his immediate priority is clearly the Premier League. Should he join Liverpool and settle nicely, there's no guarantee he'll end up pining for Barcelona.

But it is pretty remarkable to witness the continued pull of the Catalan club. Tzimas was nine years old when Barcelona last won the Champions League.

Liverpool must start to wonder whether any amount of success could bestow such near-mythical pulling power and status. But ultimately, that's the brief for Slot — to take the incredible foundations laid by Jurgen Klopp and create a true dynasty.