Liverpool made plans to sign a new midfielder after negotiations with Moises Caicedo and Romeo Lavia fell through.
Liverpool is still seeking for a new holding midfielder, according to sources who talked to 90min, after their main targets Moises Caicedo and Romeo Lavia decided to join Chelsea.
The Reds first agreed to terms with Brighton for a British transfer record of £111 million, but the Blues signed Caicedo earlier this week.
Caicedo was supposed to have a physical on Merseyside last week, and Liverpool’s management even gave manager Jurgen Klopp permission to talk publicly about the deal during a press conference before their farcical trip to Chelsea.
The Ecuadorian, however, chose to hold out for a transfer to Chelsea rather than go to complete the agreement. Even though he was open to go to Liverpool, he wanted to give the Blues more time to up their offer to one that Brighton would consider acceptable because moving to Stamford Bridge was his top priority.
In the end, Chelsea agreed to spend £115 million to secure their man, much to the chagrin of Liverpool, who had believed Caicedo would choose Anfield.
After having three offers for Lavia rejected by Southampton this summer, Liverpool circled back to him and hinted that they would match Chelsea’s offer.
Lavia, though, has also opted to join Chelsea in a £58 million move, leaving Liverpool with no other options in their desire to bolster their midfield options.
Liverpool still has other objectives and has done thorough due diligence on the situation of the present market, despite the fact that Caicedo and Lavia were undoubtedly near the top of their shortlist.
They have previously expressed a keen interest in Cheick Doucoure of Crystal Palace, Ryan Gravenberch of Bayern Munich, Khephren Thuram of Nice, Manu Kone of Borussia Monchengladbach, and Joao Palhinha of Fulham.
Sofyan Amrabat of Fiorentina has long been a favorite of Liverpool, however they have not recently rekindled their admiration, and rivals Manchester United are also interested in the Moroccan.
Andre, a midfielder for Fluminense, is another player on Liverpool’s radar, but the Brazilian team won’t allow him to be sold until after they’ve been eliminated from the Copa Libertadores. Although they’ve advanced to the quarterfinals, the second leg of their match against Olimpia isn’t until August 31, the day before the transfer deadline.
