Liverpool set ‘shortlist’ for transfer of six midfield players after Romeo Lavia failure

Liverpool have been chasing a midfield addition in the closing weeks of the transfer window, having recently seen moves hijacked by Chelsea from Moises Caicedo and Romeo Lavia.

Liverpool have placed Fulham star Joao Palhinha at the top of a list of six midfielders as they scramble for signings.

Jürgen Klopp is desperate for reinforcements in midfield before the end of the transfer window. The Reds had a deal with Brighton for Moises Caicedo but have seen the Ecuadorian complete a move to Chelsea.

An attack on Romeo Lavia looks set to go the same way as the Blues are close to signing the Southampton youngster for a fee of over £50m. That leaves Liverpool with few options as they look to secure a signing. However, Klopp has compiled an extensive list of potential recruits. According to MailOnline, six options are being studied.

Fulham star Joao Palhinha is reportedly the most favourite. The Portuguese shone with Marco Silva’s men last season following a move from Sporting Lisbon.

West Ham were linked with a move for him earlier this summer, but he competed for Southampton star James Ward-Prowse instead. Fulham have reportedly put a price tag of over £60m on Palhinha and whether Liverpool are willing to pay that fee remains to be seen.

Another one of their options is also expected to be expensive. Crystal Palace star Cheick Doucoure has been considered, but the Eagles are asking around £70m for the former Lens midfielder.

There are several other candidates who could potentially move to Anfield before the end of the transfer window, who had been under consideration previously. Kalvin Phillips has been admired by Klopp in the past and the Reds have been urged to re-examine a transfer for the Man City man. Sofyan Amrabat is also linked with a move from Fiorentina to Merseyside. Liverpool have their hands full to secure his services and bitter rivals Manchester United are also hot on their heels.

The Reds are also neck and neck with United over the signing of Khephren Thuram. Liverpool have been heavily linked with a move to the Nice midfielder, although the Red Devils have reportedly been eyeing this in recent weeks with a close eye on Jean-Claire Todibo.

A final option could potentially be Brazilian prodigy Andre van Fluminese. The Reds are keen on a deal for the midfielder but his current employers don’t want to lose him this summer, instead wanting a deal in January.

Speaking about his team’s need for a new midfielder ahead of Chelsea, Klopp said: “It’s no surprise that we’re looking for that position. It’s clear and it would be great if we could do something, but for now we can do a lot of things.

“We can also play a double six or a double pivot and Stefan [Bajcetic] comes back. He played that position exceptionally well, so we have options, we have Curtis [Jones], we can adjust the system and we have options. But yeah, it would be absolutely amazing if we could.

More news………

After the 1-1 tie at Stamford Bridge, Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp made fun of Chelsea.

The Reds boss couldn’t help but dig the Blues after Mauricio Pochettino revealed he was hoping for more signings this month

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp couldn’t help but dig in at Chelsea after the two sides drew 1-1 in the Premier League at Stamford Bridge on Sunday.

After the entertaining encounter in west London, Blues boss Mauricio Pochettino revealed he was waiting for new signings to complete the squad – despite the club’s huge outlay over the past two transfer windows.

“It’s what every manager at Chelsea wants and usually gets it,” Klopp said.

The German also admitted there was ‘no news’ regarding Moises Caicedo’s transfer target as the Brighton midfielder is also wanted by Chelsea and is now believed to be close to a move to the Blues.

During the match itself, Klopp was happy with the result. “The start was pretty compelling,” he said. “We really looked like we hadn’t met in the parking lot!” Then we opened the door to Chelsea. We fought very hard, it was super intense for both teams. That’s a point for Chelsea…good.”

“In the second half with the crowd, we really had to dig deep and fight hard. In the end we got a point and that’s okay. I saw a lot of things I liked and some things I didn’t like. We are right and we continue to work.”