10 August 2023 , 12:18
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Liverpool have made contact with Brighton in an attempt to hijack Chelsea's move for Moises Caicedo.
The Reds are in the market for a defensive midfielder after several of their options in that area left Anfield. Jurgen Klopp had been pursuing Southampton's Romeo Lavia, who is valued at £50m, but had seen several offers rejected.
Brighton's impressive campaign thrust Caicedo into the limelight and the Ecuadorian has made no secret of his desire to move on amid interest from top clubs. Chelsea have seen bids rejected by the Seagulls and Mirror Football reports Liverpool have now made contact with the Seagulls over a potential move to Anfield.
The Merseysiders would have to get close to Brighton's £100m asking price for Caicedo, but Jamie Carragher urged Klopp to do exactly that having recouped major fees for Jordan Henderson and Fabinho, who weren't expected to depart, giving the club more cash to work with.
Speaking on The Overlap Fan Debate, in partnership with Sky Bet, Carragher said: "Liverpool need to just get the proper player now – Moises Caicedo. You might think Caicedo is overpriced but Fabinho and Jordan Henderson were massively overpriced so they’ve won on that side, so you may have to pay a bit extra on the other side – just do it.
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"My problem with bringing Romeo Lavia in is because people keep saying he’s too young to be the holding midfield player for Liverpool, to play all season in the Premier League, so you need to bring in someone else. How does that work? If you’re paying £50m or £60m for a 19-year-old to then go and pay the same for someone who is ready now."
Caicedo was part of a Brighton team that beat Liverpool last term and would bolster a Reds outfit that need to get back into the top four. Liverpool's midfield was cited as an area of weakness for Klopp's side and he's already added Caicedo's former team-mate Alexis Mac Allister.
Moises Caicedo is looking to leave Brighton this summer (Getty)Liverpool's interest in Caicedo comes after Chelsea reportedly hijacked their pursuit of Lavia with a bid for the midfielder. The Saints have stood firm on their £50m price tag for the youngster but have not yet responded to the offer from Stamford Bridge.
Gary Neville criticised Liverpool's owners for failing to spend at the same rate as their rivals and claimed they'd been "caught out" - but their pursuit of Caicedo may suggest otherwise. He said: “The last two years, Chelsea, Arsenal and Manchester United have spent huge, and I think this has caught Liverpool out, their owners out. They haven’t got the money to compete and its shocked them in the market.
"The Bellingham deal was over £100m, and this was the same with Declan Rice, Fernández, and Moises Caicedo – I don’t think Liverpool are comfortable spending this. They’ve hit their ceiling at a lower level than the other four or five clubs and it’s going to come and hit them like a ton of bricks at some point."