Liverpool wanted Moisés Caicedo but seem to have lost. Roméo Lavia should be the first alternative, but even if it were possible, he can’t do it alone.
It looks like Liverpool will miss the signing of Moisés Caicedo. The Ecuadorian is leaving for Chelsea at the time of writing, where he signs an eight-year, $146million contract.
According to The Telegraph, Chelsea will present that amount and finalize the deal after negotiating the player on Saturday. He could be paraded onto the Stamford Bridge pitch during the opening match of the new Premier League season against the Reds on Sunday.
But what happens then for Liverpool? A plan will have to be worked out. It is probably mainly 19-year-old Roméo Lavia from Southampton, but Chelsea have also made an offer for the Belgian’s services.
Best-case scenario, dream scenario from this point, Liverpool would make a deal for Lavia. Having already seen three offers for the rejected boy, the last one not far from the asking price, it seems possible that the first thought is whether Caicedo proves unreachable.
But would that be enough? There was a big question mark hanging over a possible deal for Lavia before the Caicedo news was explored, as at 19 there is a lot of pressure to come in and expect it to be the immediate fix. Liverpool’s midfield needs a lot of renovations and asking Lavia to do it would be a difficult choice.
But now that he was willing to put a whopping $140m (£110m/€127m) on the table for Caicedo, the perception would be that there was the potential to do more business if Lavia gets halfway through. this amount. Another signing of the centre-back is important and can also be prioritised, but the length of this particular saga won’t have helped in that regard. The summer transfer window is just 19 days away and the first game of the new season is set to start today.
In a dream scenario, Liverpool would have signed Caicedo ahead of Chelsea. But if that proves impossible, the best thing to do would be to sign Lavia and another more experienced player, as well as a defender. It’s a lot to ask and it won’t come cheap, but Liverpool know what’s at stake.
Caicedo was reportedly a walking player on the pitch, hence FSG’s willingness to approve a mega-money offer well above the levels Liverpool have previously achieved. Without him, Liverpool will have to ensure that enough deals are completed to avoid a situation similar to that seen when Aurelien Tchouaméni was transferred last summer.
Although Tchouameni learned a lesson of having no alternative to Tchouameni when he decided to join Real Madrid, there was still a whole summer ahead of us back then. This time it’s less than three weeks
