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Liverpool FC's £24.5m bid for Alex Teixeira has certainly got Reds fans talking.

The Shakhtar Donetsk attacker is one of Europe's hottest properties, having scored 22 league goals in the Ukraine already this season – as well as four in the Champions League.

And with Ian Ayre having flown to Florida – where Shakhtar's winter training camp is based - to hold negotiations, it looks like Liverpool have made the first significant move in the battle for the 26-year-old's signature.

John Bradley is a name, and a voice, familiar to Kopites. A match commentator for Liverpool FC TV, the broadcaster also reports on games across Eastern Europe, and has seen plenty of Shakhtar and Teixeira in recent seasons.

Perfect, then, to give the ECHO the inside track on Liverpool's latest transfer target...

Hi John, thanks for speaking with us. Firstly, can you tell us a bit about what kind of player Teixeira is?

Let me tell you, he's outstanding. He really is. When I first saw the news of Liverpool's interest, my reaction was “wow, what a signing that would be!”

We're all aware of his goalscoring record by now, which is outstanding. I think by the time the Ukrainian league stopped in December, he had more goals than any other top-flight player in Europe, which says plenty.

He is comfortable anywhere across the line behind a centre forward. He's played wide, but this season's he's flourished in a central role.

He's got flicks and tricks, great energy, a good touch, he can spot a pass and he scores goals. Pretty good.

Shakhtar are known for producing plenty of top-level talent. How does Teixeira compare to the likes of Willian, Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Douglas Costa, who have all moved on for big money in recent seasons?

I'd say he's similar to Mkhitaryan in the way he breaks from deep and scores goals – Mkhitaryan scored bagfuls before he left, remember, and Teixeira has definitely taken on that mantle.

He's different to Willian in that he has a bit more flair. Willian is a grafter, a team player. Douglas Costa, who is doing great at Bayern, is more of an out-and-out winger whereas Teixeira can be just as effective infield as he is out wide.

Those three have all gone on to become excellent players since leaving Shakhtar, and Teixeira can absolutely do the same. I could definitely see him matching what Mkhitaryan, for example, has done at Borussia Dortmund.

Can you tell us a little bit about his development at Shakhtar? He's been there a while hasn't he?

It's interesting because Mircea Lucescu, the Shakhtar coach, has handled him really well.

Shakhtar have a rich tradition of success with Brazilian imports, and Lucescu certainly knows how to get the best out of them.

He brought him over as a 20-year-old from Vasco da Gama on the recommendation of Jadson, one of his players at the time. And then he held him back, played him mainly out wide, dipped him in and out of the team and protected him.

Then when Mkhitaryan left for Dortmund in 2013, he took on new responsibility in the side and boy has he blossomed.

There are a lot of Brazilians there at present – the likes of Taison, Bernard, Wellington Nem – but Teixeira is the best of the lot. He is, along with Andriy Yarmolenko at Dynamo Kiev, the outstanding player in Ukraine. And he has more to his game than Yarmolenko.

What about his off-field character? Any issues there?

He's had a couple of red cards, so he's got a bit of bite to him. But nothing out of the ordinary.

Lucescu is known as a coach that demands a certain type of character, and Teixeira obviously fits that. He's the vice-captain, so he must!

The political situation in the Ukraine is, as you know, very fraught. Shakhtar are currently training in Kiev and playing their home games in Lviv, and as a result a lot of their Brazilian contingent are thinking it might be time to move on. Teixeira is among them.

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And finally, we know about his goalscoring record but just how strong a gauge is the Ukrainian league for a player moving to one of Europe's top leagues?

Yes, there is that issue.

Mkhitaryan's experience shows that there is a definite step up from Ukraine to one of the big leagues. He scored 29 goals in his last season at Shakhtar, but took time to settle at Dortmund. Now, he's one of the best players in the Bundesliga.

Teixeira's goal record is similar, but he's also performed in Europe, which is a good sign. I did Shakhtar's game against Real Madrid in December. They were 4-0 down at one point and then Teixeira literally took over the game. He scored twice, and almost got his side an unlikely draw.

The Premier League is a different proposition, of course, but in terms of talent Teixeira certainly has it. And then some.

What do you make of the Teixeira move? Let us know in the comments section below or @LivEchoLFC