According to reports, Liverpool are preparing to sign Real Madrid midfielder Eduardo Camavinga in a bid to strengthen manager Arne Slott’s squad.
The Reds won the Premier League title last season and have started this season in perfect fashion with five wins from their first five games.
However, Liverpool have since lost their next four Premier League games, leaving Arsenal in full control of the title race, with the Gunners now seven points behind the Reds and six points behind second-placed Manchester City.
The slot midfield has looked disjointed at times this season, but the defense has also come under a lot of criticism, and Liverpool may look to improve the situation with mid-season reinforcements.
Real Madrid’s Camavinga is one of the players that Liverpool have long been linked with, but they have fallen down the midfield pecking order since Xabi Alonso joined the Bernabéu.
And now, Spanish publication Ficajes claims that Liverpool are “taking advantage of Xabi Alonso’s diminished role since taking over as manager from Carlo Ancelotti to reignite interest in the Real Madrid player.”
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Liverpool are “preparing an initial offer of around 60 million euros (about £53 million)”, but a Real Madrid boss said: “We have no intention of selling him, but the board is willing to listen to offers if the figure is attractive enough.”
The report added: “While Valdebebas officials admit that everything could change if an exceptional offer arrives, they insist they have no intention of letting the player go.” Real Madrid need to make ends meet and selling Camavinga is not a priority, but a big offer could open the door for discussions in manager Florentino Perez’s office.
“Liverpool have been tracking Camavinga for some time. Manager Arne Slott had already expressed his admiration for the player before he left the bench, and his successor has reignited that interest. At Anfield, they will look to strengthen their midfield with versatile players who can win the ball back, distribute the ball intelligently and break the lines.”
Liverpool’s Giovanni Leoni suffered a serious injury earlier this season and is likely to miss the rest of the season.
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This means the Reds are severely short on centre-backs and when asked if Leoni’s injury could force him to take part in the January transfer window, Slott replied: “Yes. “It all depends on whether there are more injuries, yes or no, and whether there is an opportunity in the market, all of which I always answer.
“But I don’t like to use 24/25 players. And if you’re in a situation where you’re leading a team that has four or five injured players all season, it might be a little bit smarter to use 24/25 players. But recent history has shown that (we have a good record) so far.”
“You don’t have five or six players injured at the same time throughout the season. If that happens, you end up with 15/16 players, which is usually difficult.”
“So this is the choice I would like to make, but I also think it is an economic choice as a club. If you want to keep these top players, you can’t have them 24/25.”
