Liverpool has been handed a late lifeline in the transfer window, as Chelsea fails to land a potential future target for the club in the midfield on deadline day.
Andoni Iraola, Manager of Liverpool, reacts during the Premier League 2026/27 match between Newcastle United and Liverpool FC
Liverpool has been beaten to a potential future transfer target(Image: (Photo by George Wood/Getty Images))
Liverpool has seemingly been handed a lifeline on a potential future midfield target, as Premier League rival Chelsea missed out on a deal to sign a possible star for the future.
According to The Athletic, the Blues were set to sign AS Monaco ace Lamine Camara in a deal worth up to $63.5 million, with a late move on the cards for the 22-year-old. The Senegalese international was linked with a switch to Liverpool earlier in the window, but it became clear that the team was prioritizing potential arrivals in the forward line instead of the midfield.
That seemingly put the Reds out of the race for his signature, though there was still a chance that he could have been revisited as a future option, should the club feel that he was a player who could bolster the central ranks.
That option for a transfer in 2027 appeared to be off the cards, with Chelsea swooping in and landing Camara on a six-year deal with an extra year on top of that.
However, Ben Jacobs reports that the deal fell through at the last moment, meaning the player won't be moving to West London, and could be available once again.
It follows Enzo Fernandez's move to Manchester City, which is set to match the record fee Liverpool paid for Alexander Isak, kickstarting one final domino effect in the summer transfer window.
Camara's failed transfer means Liverpool could go back in for the midfielder in the future if the club decides that is the best place to strengthen in the January 2027 transfer window, or the summer one beyond that.
It has been a position that many have called for transfers in that position, due to the attack-minded options currently available to Andoni Iraola, which has caused some problems so far.
The Reds have found it difficult to defend large spaces in the midfield in transition, with Ryan Gravenberch and Dominik Szoboszlai punished in particular by Newcastle for their attack-first thinking in the opening match of the campaign.
Lamine Camara of Monaco
Chelsea are targeting a late move for Monaco star Lamine Camara(Image: ALAIN JOCARD / AFP via Getty Images)
With Alexis Mac Allister and Florian Wirtz doing little to solve those concerns in terms of their profile and skillset, there have been calls for another midfield arrival.
"I don't believe that midfield can function with the personnel in there," former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher warned recently. "For me, it doesn't work. And it's not just about personnel, it's the structure the manager is asking."
Iraola, on the other hand, has been bullish about the midfield, believing that tweaks need to be made to the way the players defend, rather than the need to sign a specialist number six.
Whether that comes back to bite the team this season remains to be seen, with the lack of action causing some concern among fans and pundits alike.