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‘Back again’: Liverpool could now go for ‘incredible’ midfielder with Caicedo deal in doubt – journalist

Charles Jones

Fri 11 August 2023 13:40, UK

Moises Caicedo has told Liverpool that he only wants to join Chelsea.

The midfielder seemingly has his heart set on a move to Stamford Bridge rather than Anfield.

It’s a real shame for Liverpool as the signing of Caicedo would have been a huge statement of intent and a massive step towards achieving their goals this season.

Liverpool now have to look towards a Plan B, and a familiar name has, unsurprisingly, emerged as an option.

Indeed, according to Sacha Tavolieri, Liverpool are now, once again, considering a move for Romeo Lavia after the Caicedo deal hit a snag.

🔛🇧🇪😨 And here comes the Romeo ’s saga to back again. What a rollercoaster.

— Sacha Tavolieri (@sachatavolieri)

Liverpool will go back to the negotiating table with Southampton with their tails firmly between their legs.

They were playing hardball with the Saints over a before moving for Caicedo, and now that they’ve shown their hand with a bid for the Ecuadorian, Southampton’s stance will surely only be more firm now.

Luckily, it does seem as though the cash is there for Liverpool to get this deal done, and if Liverpool do spend £50m on the ‘‘ midfielder, by our calculations, they should still have £60m to go and spend elsewhere.

With the Reds probably still needing another right-back and more depth at centre-back, this move could work out for the best.

Of course, transfer budgets don’t quite work like that due to player amortisation, deal structures and wages, but if Liverpool do end up signing Lavia instead of Caicedo, they should have some cash going spare to spend elsewhere.

One way or another, Liverpool will get a new midfielder through the door this summer, it just remains to be seen whether or not that player will be Caicedo or Lavia.