With James Milner and others leaving the team at the end of their contracts and the unexpected departures of Jordan Henderson and Fabinho, Liverpool was forced to change its original plans for reinforcements, and securing a defensive midfielder became a top priority.
As you know, Liverpool had previously made three offers for Southampton midfielder Romeo Lavia, but avoided paying the asking price and changed their target to Brighton midfielder Moises Caicedo, who had been heavily linked with a move to Chelsea and offered the highest price on the Premier League market.
Although an agreement was reached between the clubs, the player wanted to play at Stamford Bridge, and Chelsea made a higher offer. He then returned to Lavia, but perhaps distrusted by his last-minute move, he settled for Chelsea, as did the Ecuadorian midfielder.
According to The Athletic, Liverpool’s data department recommended another player besides Caicedo and Lavia when Fabinho’s move to Saudi Arabia was finalized. The name was Boubacar Kamara, a French midfielder who plays for Aston Villa.
“At the resumption of pre-season training in July, a defensive midfielder did not seem to be high on the agenda. Yes, Liverpool were weighing up whether to sign a long-term successor to Fabinho. There had been a gentle inquiry made to Southampton about Lavia’s situation, but it was far from certain they would buy a third midfielder in this window.”
“That all quickly changed, though, when Fabinho and captain Jordan Henderson were persuaded by the prospect of earning fortunes to swap the Premier League for the Saudi Pro League with Al Ittihad and Al Ettifaq. Klopp had been preparing for the season with the duo on board, but they departed at the end of July. Suddenly, buying a new No 6 became a necessity, especially as neither Thiago nor young defensive midfielder Stefan Bajcetic would be fit for the start of the season as they completed their rehabilitation from long-term injuries.”
“When it became clear Fabinho was going to be sold, Liverpool’s data department started passing on information about possible replacements. The three names high on the list were Caicedo, Lavia and Aston Villa’s Boubacar Kamara.”
Currently, there are few reports of Liverpool making an offer for the Aston Villa midfielder, with Bayern Munich midfielder Ryan Gravenberch and Fluminense midfielder Andre rumored to be the top candidates.
Who will Liverpool eventually bring in as their new midfielder?