Summary Liverpool are considering options like Joao Palhinha and Cheick Doucoure after missing out on Moises Caicedo. They're now hoping to steal a 'future star' away from Brighton's eyes in order to seal an alternative. The player is one of the finest in Ligue 1 and is valued at around £26m.
Liverpool's transfer objective for the remainder of the summer transfer window is no secret: the Anfield side need to sign a first-class defensive midfielder after missing out on Moises Caicedo and Romeo Lavia to Chelsea.
Who are Liverpool going to sign?
After suffering the plight of losing a transfer battle to the Blues twice over recent days, Jurgen Klopp's side still need to replace Fabinho after the Brazilian was sold to Saudi Arabian side Al-Ittihad for £40m in July.
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The Reds are said to have compiled a shortlist of options to fortify the Anfield centre, with Fulham's Joao Palhinha and Crystal Palace's Cheick Doucoure at the forefront of the shopping list.
However, according to TEAMtalk, Liverpool have leapt into contention to sign Lille's rising star Carlos Baleba this month, looking to bypass Brighton & Hove Albion's pursuit, with the Seagulls currently seeking to replace Caicedo with the Cameroonian talent, who is valued at €30m (£26m) by his French side.
Indeed, Fabrizio Romano even went as far as to describe the talent as the "perfect" replacement for Liverpool's former target.
Who is Carlos Baleba?
Some would argue that Liverpool's ostensible interest in Baleba is lazy and lackadaisical, but the Reds have been credited with an interest in the 19-year-old midfielder back in March, with Arsenal and Manchester United also monitoring his situation.
And he has certainly been making waves in Ligue 1, with his performances leaving journalist Graeme Bailey waxing lyrical and calling him a "future star", with the teenager breaking into the Lille first-team last term and displaying his passing composure by completing 84% of his passes across 19 outings in Ligue 1.
He also ranks among the top 2% of midfielders across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for blocks, the top 12% for tackles, the top 1% for successful take-ons and the top 9% for progressive carries per 90, as per FBref, illustrating his defensive tenacity and aptitude as a forward-barrelling midfield vehicle.
It is this skill set that has left Brighton pushing for his services and Liverpool closely monitoring the situation, and there is every possibility that the teenager will prove to be an apt alternative to Caicedo for Klopp's men.
Caicedo joined the Seagulls for £4.5m from his homeland side Independiente del Valle in 2021, and completed 89% of his passes, averaging 2.7 tackles and 1.5 interceptions per game in the Premier League last season, earning an average match rating of 7.08.
The Ecuadorian, still only 21, is one of the crispest passers on English shores and boasts a destructive defensive presence to stifle the most fluid and threatening of attacks, ranking among the top 5% of midfielders for pass completion, the top 14% for tackles and the top 15% for interceptions per 90.
Hailed as the "crown jewel" of Ecuadorian football by football expert and historian Enrico Castro-Montes, the failure to sign Caicedo has left a sour taste in the mouths of all affiliated with the Merseyside outfit, but by swooping for Baleba, such concerns could quickly evaporate.
And while there will be concerns over the player's age and inexperience, Baleba could be signed for a relatively paltry fee, leaving room to bolster the midfield further and providing Klopp with a prodigious talent who could be moulded into a superlative star capable of rivalling his South American counterpart as the Premier League's standout No. 6.
