Liverpool are interested in signing Moises Caicedo from Brighton & Hove Albion despite Premier League rivals Chelsea's unremitting pursuit of the Ecuador international.
Who will sign Moises Caicedo?
That's according to Football Insider, who claim that Jurgen Klopp's Reds are the side to have joined Chelsea in the race for 21-year-old midfielder, who is valued at £100m by his outfit.
This follows a report from The Athletic revealing an unnamed club have seen an £80m offer rejected this week, surpassing the Blues' latest bid of £75m plus add-on.
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Liverpool have been pushing for a move for Southampton's Romeo Lavia but appear reluctant to meet his side's £50m valuation; while Caicedo eclipses Lavia's price tag, he is an established, high-profile destroyer and Klopp could yet further negotiations.
How good is Moises Caicedo?
A few dubious eyebrows will undoubtedly have arched following the report that Liverpool are the mystery club looking to enter the race for Caicedo's signature, and while further reports will need to materialise to convince the fanbase that such claims could bear fruit, it's an indication that sporting director Jorg Schmadtke is working diligently behind the scenes.
The struggle to find common ground in the bid to sign Lavia from Southampton is not for lack of funds, rather, an inflexibility in strategy, an unwillingness to pay in excess of what the club internally consider an appropriate fee.
Caicedo was unquestionably one of the Premier League's standout stars last term and his unrelenting intensity and industrious work-rate was a crucial factor behind Brighton's momentous sixth-place finish, qualifying for the Europa League.
As per Sofascore, the £60k-per-week gem recorded an average match rating of 7.08 in the English top-flight, completing 89% of his passes, averaging 1.2 key passes per game and winning 2.7 tackles and 1.5 interceptions per outing, praised as a "machine man" by talent scout Jacek Kulig.
Once dubbed as "strong, quick, intelligent and cool" by Tim Vickery, the effect that he would have on the Reds team would be extreme, instilling a deep-rooted winning mentality as he threads the team together and charges the engine.
He would play a big part in the restoration of the squad's backline, which has seen defensive imperiousness dissipate into the wind and was probably the crux of Liverpool's demise last term, enhancing the likes of newly-appointed captain Virgil van Dijk.
The 32-year-old Dutchman has made 222 appearances since arriving from Southampton on a £75m deal in 2019, winning the whole gamut of silverware under Klopp's stewardship at Anfield, but he has been branded "nonchalant" by Dave OCKOP for his languid defending and part in Liverpool's issues.
But, as The Athletic illustrated, the underperforming and sapped midfield's inability to protect the defence compounded the problems, and Caicedo can be the icing on the cake following the summer arrivals of Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai – who will undoubtedly improve the Reds centre.
Caicedo can combine the tenacity of the defensive energy with the crispness of his composed passing, with FBref ranking the Ecuadorian among the top 6% of midfielders across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for pass completion, the top 13% for tackles and the top 11% for interceptions per 90.
This would play into Van Dijk's favour, with the £220k-per-week colossus ranking among the top 12% of defenders for pass completion and the top 4% for passes attempted per 90, requiring a conduit through which the attacking flow can be channelled.
Caicedo would be Liverpool's "crown jewel" – as once heralded by Ecuadorian football expert and historian Enrico Castro-Montes – and Klopp must now monitor the player's situation over the coming weeks attentively, ready to pounce if the opportunity arises.
