Some Liverpool supporters may be wondering why the club have opted against a move to sign central defender Marc Guehi, as he closes in on a move to Manchester City.
Ibrahima Konate, Virgil van Dijk, and Joe Gomez are the only fit centre-backs available to Arne Slot at the moment, but the Reds have not tried to beat City to the signing of the Crystal Palace star.
Crystal Palace captain Marc Guehi
The Liverpool Echo reports that the club do not view signing him for £20m this month as a good market opportunity. They were willing to pay £35m last summer and were preparing to snap him up on a free transfer this summer, but £20m in January was a deal that they did not want to do.
Time will tell whether they made the right decision or not, depending on what happens with Liverpool's centre-back situation and how Guehi performs for City.
Whilst missing out on a deal to sign the England international may be frustrating for some supporters, there is still time left in the window for FSG to pull a rabbit out of the hat.
Liverpool preparing move for LaLiga star
In fact, the reigning Premier League champions are reportedly looking at a player who would arrive at Anfield as an even better signing than Guehi this month.
According to a report from Spain, Liverpool are eyeing up a move to sign central midfielder Eduardo Camavinga from Real Madrid in the January transfer window.
The report claims that the Reds are preparing a formal offer to sign the France international to bolster their options in the middle of the park for the second half of the season and beyond.
camavinga-real-madrid
It adds that Arne Slot has given the green light for the club to pursue a deal for the versatile star, who is seen as a player who can help the team to take the next step in their development.
Liverpool are said to be monitoring his situation at Real Madrid as they believe that a strong offer will be enough to tempt the Spanish giants into cashing in on Camavinga, who is said to be valued at up to £69m.
Why Camavinga would be a better signing than Guehi
If the club can get a deal over the line for the French star in the next two weeks, Camavinga would be an even better signing for the Reds than Guehi would have been.
Crystal Palace's Marc Guehi celebrates scoring their second goal
Konate and van Dijk are currently established as the first-choice centre-back pairing for Slot, starting 22 out of 22 Premier League games this season, which means that Guehi may only have joined as a back-up option at first.
Camavinga, however, could slot straight into the starting XI to be a key player for the Reds from day one, as he has the quality to step in as a big upgrade on Alexis Mac Allister in the middle of the park.
Liverpool-Mac-Allister
The Argentina international has started 18 of his 21 appearances in the Premier League for Liverpool this season, per Sofascore, but he could be ousted from the side by the Real Madrid star.
Camavinga's impressive performances, particularly out of possession, in LaLiga for Los Blancos suggest that he could arrive as an upgrade on Mac Allister in the middle of the park for the Reds.
25/26 Camavinga (LaLiga) Mac Allister (PL)
Appearances 13 21
Goals 1 0
xA 0.93 1.02
Tackles + interceptions per game 2.4 1.5
Dribbled past per game 0.5x 0.9x
Ground duel success rate 70% 45%
Aerial duel success rate 56% 38%
Duels won per game 4.3 2.6
Stats via Sofascore
As you can see in the table above, the French star has offered a similar level of creativity, despite playing fewer games, and has been far superior on the defensive and physical side of the game.
These statistics suggest that Camavinga, who was hailed as a "duel monster" by analyst Raj Chohan, would significantly improve Liverpool's play off the ball, which is needed because they have conceded 28 goals in 21 Premier League games.
[FBCharts] Alexis Mac Allister Comparisons
The £69m-rated star, as shown in the chart above, has also outperformed Mac Allister in most metrics per 90 over the past 365 days in all competitions, generally offering more to his team defensively and as a passer or carrier in possession.
Therefore, Camavinga could come in as a nailed-on starter ahead of Mac Allister due to the quality that he can provide in and out of possession, whilst Guehi may have initially been a back-up option had they decided to compete with City for his signature.
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Liverpool have identified a top Premier League midfielder to revamp Slot's struggling midfield.
On top of that, the Real Madrid star is also two years younger than Guehi could have slightly more long-term value to the club as a signing, which is another reason why he would be a better addition for the Reds.