Journalist Neil Jones has provided an update on Liverpool's pursuit of a defensive midfielder this summer.
The club are still yet to buy a defensive midfielder this window after selling Fabinho earlier this window
What is the latest Liverpool transfer news?
It has been a crazy last five days in the market for Liverpool
The Club thought they had finally found their solution to their defensive midfield late Thursday night when they agreed a British record £110m fee with Brighton for Ecuadorian Moises Caicedo. However, the player turned down a move to Anfield on Friday, stating that he only wanted to join Chelsea, where he ultimately moved to for £115m on Monday.
The club then switched their attention back to Southampton midfielder Romeo Lavia, who they'd previously seen three bids rejected for this summer. However, the Belgian was left feeling as he was the Reds "second choice" option according to reports and ultimately opted to follow in Caicedo's footsteps and turn down Liverpool in favour of a switch to Stamford Bridge.
The club are now scrambling, having missed out on their top targets, and are being linked with a whole host of names including Crystal Palace's Cheick Doucoure, Bayern Munich's Ryan Gravenberch, Fulham's Joao Palhinha and more, however all these options may be more expensive than first thought due to there being just over two weeks left in the window
Speaking on his YouTube channel, journalist Jones stated that he believes the club could consider moves for French duo Khephren Thuram and Manu Kone, who were considered by the club earlier in the window. This is due to the fact that the groundwork has already been laid with these deals:
"There are Khephren Thuram, who was looked at earlier in the summer, and Manu Kone who was looked at earlier in the summer, Thuram of Nice and Kone of Monchengladbach, players who I think a lot of people were on board with as potential targets.
"Thuram went quiet once it was confirmed that Szoboszlai was coming in to Liverpool, it felt like Thuram’s chances diminished significantly, but could that interest be revived? I think there’s a possibility given the fact that they like the player, the fact that the player should be available and the fact that they should have done a lot of groundwork with the player."
Which players should Liverpool move for?
Kone and Thuram are potentially not the type of midfielders the Merseyside club should be moving for.
Both of them are used to being deployed in more advanced roles for their current sides, whilst Liverpool have already filled that void this summer with the signings of Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai from Brighton and RB Leipzig respectively. The Reds really need a player who can partner Trent Alexander-Arnold in the base of the midfield and break up opposition attacks before offloading the ball to his midfield partners to create.
Palhinha would be a strong option. The Portuguese international impressed in his first season in the Premier League following his move from Sporting Lisbon, leading the league in tackles made with 147, which was comfortably the best total in the league, with Caicedo coming in second with just 100. However, his age of 28 may stop the Reds from making a move for him, as they may want a younger option who can develop with the rest of the team. According to reports, the defensive midfielder would set the Merseyside club back around €60m (£51.3m).
Another good option would be Doucoure. The Mali international won Crystal Palace's fan's player of the year for his performances last season, and was key in the Eagles midfield as they went on to record an 11th place finish. The former RC Lens man averaged 2.3 tackles per game, the highest amount of any player in the Palace team, and also ranked in the top 3% for interceptions per 90 over the past year, when compared to his positional peers. Being just 23 years old, he may be seen as a better fit with the transfer policy at the club, and would reportedly cost less than £60m according to Miguel Delaney.
