Meet Alex Teixeira - The Brazilian goal machine wanted by Liverpool & Chelsea

Some clubs are renowned the world over as great production lines of elite talent, bringing players through from the academy and into the first team. But there is another way, illustrated by both Porto and Shakhtar Donetsk. Their method is simple: buy relatively unknown players, turn them into European-level performers and sell them on for a substantial profit.

First for Shakhtar, there was Fernandinho, packaged up and sent to Manchester City, then there was Douglas Costa, currently making a huge impact for Bayern Munich, and now there's Alex Teixeira, initially linked with Chelsea but, as Goal revealed, also high on Jurgen Klopp's wish-list at Liverpool.

Shakhtar, from the eastern Ukrainian mining city of Donetsk, have risen to a steady Champions League level thanks to their ability to spot talent, recruit and develop it.

Teixiera is testament to this approach. With 22 goals in 15 Ukrainian Premier League games this season, the Brazilian has caught the eye at the top of the European scoring charts, nestling in among the stellar names of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Robert Lewandowski and Gonzalo Higuain.

Given the names with whom Teixeira is sharing the spotlight, it might be easy to assume that the Brazilian is a penalty-box poacher but that could not be further from the truth. Teixeira is not, by any metric, an out-and-out striker or a traditional No.9.

The Brazilian began life in Ukraine as a playmaker, tasked with playing the final ball to a forward, rather than delivering the goals himself. Perhaps the clearest illustration that Teixeira is not be regarded as a No.9 is that, when Fernandinho eventually moved to Manchester City, Shakhtar's coach, Mircea Lucescu, originally sought to develop the 26-year-old into a deep-lying playmaker to replace the City-bound midfielder.

This season, bearing a bountiful fruit of goals, Teixeira has operated behind a more traditional target-man-like figure, rather than leading the line himself. Should his move to Liverpool come off, Teixeira's role this season might point towards a partnership with Christian Benteke, with the Belgian acting as a foil for the Brazilian's outstanding talent.

Any possible move could cause Roberto Firmino to permanently convert to a central striking role, in the place of Benteke, or see him move to the wings, allowing Teixeira to adopt the space between midfield and attack. But with Firmino's tendency to drop off the forward line to find space and supply his team-mates, there may be a dose of creative tension between the two Brazilians. It is not yet clear how they could be accommodated in the same team.

But issues of selection and positioning can come later. First, Liverpool have to complete the transfer. As Goal reported, Chelsea have been perturbed by Shakhtar's £29 million asking price, though the Reds are prepared to meet that valuation.

And there is little doubt that Teixeira would be interested in a move to Anfield. In an interview with O Globo this week, the Brazilian indicated that he was "very happy" with interest from Chelsea but the most forceful point made was that the 26-year-old is extremely open to a move to one of Europe's biggest leagues as a vehicle to force his way into the Brazil squad.

The one considerable roadblock between Liverpool and Teixiera may be Shakhtar's attitude. After falling behind Dynamo Kyiv last season, the Donetsk club are desperate to regain the Ukrainian Premier League title and, in that regard, Teixiera is crucial.

For Shakhtar, this season's title is imbued with more meaning than a regular season. The city of Donetsk is currently going through the trauma of the war in eastern Ukraine, with the club's Donbass Arena recently shelled and the local airport, like many local lives, almost entirely destroyed. Lifting the trophy at the end of the season is seen as a way for the club and its oligarch owner, Rinat Akhmetov, to inject some happiness and comfort into an area beset by tragedy.

If Teixeira is central to achieving that aim, it is unlikely that the club would sanction his departure in January.