Liverpool ‘attention turns’ to Premier League star as Klopp comes to ‘crossroads’ in midfield hunt
Liverpool are set to turn their attention to Aston Villa’s Boubacar Kamara as they look to sign a midfielder before the transfer deadline, according to reports.
The Reds brought in Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai earlier in the transfer window to cover the losses of Naby Keita, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and James Milner, who all left on free transfers at the end of June.
But the unexpected departures of Jordan Henderson and Fabinho to Saudi Arabia saw Liverpool spring into action again with bids going in for both Romeo Lavia and Moises Caicedo.
Both Lavia and Caicedo ended up moving to Chelsea instead and the Reds ended up bringing in Wataru Endo from Stuttgart instead in an £18m deal.
However, Liverpool are unlikely to be done yet with rumours they could sign Bayern Munich’s Ryan Gravenberch, Fiorentina’s Sofyan Amrabat or Manchester City’s Kalvin Phillips.
And now Spanish publication Fichajes insists that Liverpool are at a ‘crossroads in their search’ for a replacement for Fabinho and that their ‘attention now turns’ to Aston Villa midfielder Kamara.
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The France international, who signed for Villa last summer from Marseille on a free transfer, has emerged as ‘an attractive option for Jurgen Klopp and his coaching staff’ as he ‘stands out as an intriguing choice due to his versatility and ability to adapt to different roles in midfield’.
Former Aston Villa striker Gabby Agbonlahor reckons Liverpool would have to “pay something astonishing” to get Kamara at this stage in the window.
Agbonlahor told Football Insider: “I rate Kamara highly. He wasn’t at his best in the first game against Newcastle, but you let players off in the first few games.
“No top Aston Villa player is up for transfer. If they don’t have to sell, they won’t. The days of being a selling club are over.
“I feel that unless Liverpool come out and pay something astonishing, they won’t be getting any deal over the line.”
Reliable Liverpool journalist Neil Jones has brought updates on the Reds’ interest in Gravenberch, Phillips and Fluminense midfielder Andre.
Jones wrote in his Caught Offside column: “I think in an ideal world, Liverpool would add another midfield player in this window, and given they spent only £16m on Endo, having bid more than £110m for Caicedo, it would be fair to expect that there would be money available for the right player too.
“Whether the right player is available is another matter. Liverpool certainly like Ryan Gravenberch, and have done for a number of years, but as it stands they have had little encouragement from Bayern Munich over a potential deal. Gravenberch would like to leave if a decent offer came in, he wants regular football, but Bayern have stood firm all summer, and they hold the cards in this one.
“Keep an eye out for developments there, and in the case of Andre, the Fluminense midfield man. There is a lot of noise in Brazil that Liverpool may be about to go back in for the 22-year-old. I’ve not heard that at this point, but he’s certainly a player the Reds like.
“I’d be less sure on someone like Kalvin Phillips, who has been linked. Liverpool are not in the business of taking expensive risks, and the Manchester City man would certainly be a risk and he would certainly be expensive. I’d be surprised if that one moved.”
