Much has been made of Liverpool’s need for a number six following the surprise departures of Fabinho and Jordan Henderson, leaving youngster Stefan Bajcetic as the only player in the squad to naturally fill the role.
For the past week or so all attention has been on Southampton’s Romeo Lavia. The Reds have made a succession of bids that have edged closer to the south coast outfit’s £50 million valuation, and it was hoped a deal could be wrapped up before the Premier League kicks off again this weekend.
A bid for Lavia from Chelsea yesterday made some question if the miserly attitude shown by the club would come back to bite them, but it appears that the Reds have a trick or two of their own up their sleeve, as shown by the latest developments in the transfer market.
Rumours started circulating earlier this evening that Liverpool have now turned their attention to long-standing Chelsea target Moises Caicedo, and it is now suggested that the club are willing to submit a record bid to secure the Brighton midfielder.
The 21-year-old Ecuadorian has taken the Premier League by storm since breaking into the Brighton first team 12 months ago, and has attracted the interest of a number of top clubs – including strong links to Liverpool at the start of the transfer window. Those rumours soon died down though, with it seeming that the midfielder would either move to Stamford Bridge or stay put.
Chelsea have already seen an £80 million bid for Caicedo rejected, and a price tag of £90 million has been touted. The latest updates suggest though that Liverpool have submitted a £110 million bid for the player, which would make Caicedo by far Liverpool’s most expensive player.
BREAKING: Liverpool submitted their official bid for Moisés Caicedo tonight and Brighton are set to accept! #LFC bid, set to break English transfer record — up to £110m total fee.
Moisés Caicedo will become Liverpool player on Friday, if all goes to plan. pic.twitter.com/cjZV2te10g
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) August 11, 2023
It is a lot of money to spend of course, but Liverpool have backed themselves into a bit of a corner by letting both senior players capable of playing the holding role go. We need a DM, other clubs know this, and it was always going to be a challenge to not pay too much over the odds.
Ignoring the money though, Caicedo is exactly what Liverpool need on the pitch. A midfield destroyer that rarely loses possession is exactly the profile needed following the departure (and prior to that the decline) of Fabinho, and the Ecuadorian’s ability to fill in both in central defence and at right back would add some much-needed cover for those positions.
The one question mark would be over the player’s attitude, with Caicedo pushing all summer for a Chelsea switch and previously pulling similar moves to try & engineer a transfer to Arsenal. It is quite possible we may end up in the same situation when the midfielder decides he wants Barcelona or Madrid as his next destination after a few years, but given the circumstances I feel we can kick that can down the road for a while, our immediate need takes priority.
