Liverpool are looking to improve their midfield options in the summer transfer window and are now eyeing a shock swap deal involving Real Madrid star Eduardo Camavinga and Alexis Mac Allister, according to reports.
Reds plotting Camavinga move ahead of all-important PSG clash
Following the 4-0 FA Cup exit at the hands of Manchester City, Arne Slot is under increasing pressure, and the manager is well aware his side will need to put in a much-improved performance if they are going to come away with a positive result against Paris Saint-Germain tonight.
Ahead of the first leg of the Champions League quarter-final, Slot said: "I can tell you, if we have the 20 minutes we had at City, if we have them tomorrow evening here, we will again concede four goals because these players over here know how to act if we are having 20 minutes like that.
"It is a challenge for us to be from the first to the last second at the level we were at in the first 35 minutes (at City).
"If not, it’s going to be a really hard night again, like it was last year where we completely deserved to lose 4-0 over here or maybe more."
Slot has been unable to build on winning the Premier League title in his first season, despite FSG backing their manager heavily last summer, bringing in the likes of Alexander Isak, Florian Wirtz and Jeremie Frimpong.
Perhaps all will be forgiven if the Dutchman miraculously manages to lead his side to a seventh Champions League, but he is under serious pressure, with a title-winning manager now ready to join.
That said, the players must also take their fair share of the blame, and Mac Allister has been singled out for criticism, having failed to match his performance levels from last season.
Liverpool's Alexis Mac Allister
With the Argentinian enduring a difficult campaign, Liverpool are already moving for a new midfielder, according to a report from TEAMtalk, which states Real Madrid's Camavinga could be in line to join in a swap deal.
A blockbuster move is on the cards, with intermediaries working on the deal and interest from both sides, and the Reds have wanted to sign the Frenchman for quite some time.
Eduardo Camavinga fee and wages
The France international rakes in £209k-a-week at Real Madrid, and FSG may have to spend big to get a deal over the line, with the La Liga side set to hold out for £70m - albeit a player-plus-cash deal would bring that number down.
The midfielder has plenty of top-level experience, having picked up one goal and six assists in 55 Champions League matches, and he has been lauded as "incredible defensively" by podcast host Kiyan Sobhani.
However, it would be a risk for Liverpool to offload Mac Allister based on one difficult season, and Camavinga's lack of Premier League experience means signing the Madrid star would be a gamble.