If Liverpool are to pull off a first-team signing before the end of the winter transfer window, it is going to be a right-back to counter the injuries that have beset Arne Slot's side.
Conor Bradley will be fortunate to feature again this season after injuring his knee during the 0-0 draw at Arsenal earlier this month, while Jeremie Frimpong is back on the sidelines after tweaking his hamstring this week. The fast-paced Dutchman is expected to miss a number of weeks.
However, fans would be forgiven for expecting the centre of Slot's defence to be taking precedence, with Anfield shorn of options ahead of the business months of the campaign.
Liverpool's transfer priorities in 2026
Liverpool need a new centre-half, with Ibrahima Konate out of contract at the end of the season and captain Virgil van Dijk getting old.
ibrahima-konate-liverpool
Rennes' Jeremy Jacquet is the top target after Liverpool opted against moving for Marc Guehi, the Crystal Palace skipper signing for Manchester City this month.
The Reds need reinforcements from numerous positions, though, and central midfield is a particular point of concern, with Curtis Jones being linked with a move to Italian giants Inter Milan.
According to reports in Spain, Liverpool are the favourites to sign Real Madrid midfielder Eduardo Camavinga, with the media over there claiming that all the pointers suggest the France international is set to leave the Santiago Bernabeu this summer.
The report further notes that Liverpool have earmarked a bid of around £61m to get a deal done.
Real Madrid's Eduardo Camavinga
The 23-year-old is one of the most talented players of his generation, and while several Premier League clubs - such as Arsenal - are in the mix, it is indeed the reigning champions who have the edge.
Why Camavinga could be the perfect signing for Liverpool
Should Liverpool decide to part with Jones, the Scouser in their team, at the end of the season, the fanbase will be bruised, and it will be paramount to get the act of replacing him right.
In Camavinga, FSG might just pull off a tricky manoeuvre, and it would need to be so, with Alexis Mac Allister's woes in Slot's midfield leading observers to suggest that the England international has now replaced him in the club rankings.
Jones has played an important role in aiding Slot's possession-focused approach. In this, he is a chief proponent of the Dutchman's style. But it's clear that Slot's football is not working, and Camavinga would add the attacking ingenuity and defensive steeliness that Anfield has been lacking.
Premier League 25/26 - Highest Av. Possession
Club
Liverpool
Man City
Arsenal
Chelsea
Newcastle
Data via FBref
While supporters would not wish to see Jones jump ship, Camavinga would surely represent an upgrade, hailed as a "real war machine in midfield" by talent scout Jacek Kulig. In La Liga this term, he has completed 92% of his passes and won 67% of his duels.
He rivals Jones in that regard. The Reds star, who has now featured 208 times for his boyhood club, has completed 95% of his passes in the Premier League this year, though he has only won 51% of his duels, symptomatic of Liverpool's wider problems in controlling central battles.
Camavinga would be the perfect solution, a title-winning superstar who still has so much room for growth.
Camavinga's multi-positionality as a midfielder would not fix the ongoing issue that the Anfield side contend with: signing a natural number six, someone of Fabinho's ilk.
Eduardo Camavinga
But he would be a statement signing for Slot's team, one who could catapult Liverpool back into the ascendancy.
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