It has been a rollercoaster 36 hours or so in the transfer market, with Liverpool and Chelsea being the main story. The Reds are not usually involved in public sagas, but this has represented that can reasonably be described as that and then some.
Moisés Caicedo is the man at the center of the tussle. In a very shortened version of the full story, Liverpool initially looked to have stolen a march and become the favorite, only for Chelsea to emerge as the player’s preferred option. (You can read the longer version by clicking here, which also includes plenty on Roméo Lavia). Right now, at the time of writing, there is no resolution.
So, after all that, what does the dream scenario look like for Liverpool from here? Caicedo coming in, clearly, would be part of it. Having tabled a bid worth $140m (£110m/€127m) for the Ecuadorian, Liverpool obviously values him highly. Deeming it worth a try rather than making no attempt to get the 21-year-old, the Reds went all in.
Whether that is enough remains to be seen, but it has been made plain that Liverpool views Caicedo as a player that could be transformational in midfield. If a dream scenario was to play out, reuniting him with Alexis Mac Allister and adding in Dominik Szoboszlai to the mix as well would make for a fearsome trio capable of matching anyone it came up against.
A perfect blend of physique and quality on the ball, few teams would be able to live with that, not least with some elite attacking threats in front of it. Caicedo is one of few players on the market capable of playing the exposed number six role that Liverpool is trying to create while having the capacity to not only survive there, but thrive.
But what if a deal does not happen for Liverpool? Lavia could return to being a target again (it is possible that he might be even in the event that Caicedo is brought in) but there are no obvious other options. Chelsea is ‘close’ to sealing a move for Southampton teenager Lavia, Sky Sports reports, in a potential double blow for the Reds if both players are off the table.
In a dream scenario, getting Caicedo and Lavia would be possible, though that would cost at least $203m (£160m/€186m). It seems more likely at the current moment that it would be Chelsea, not Liverpool, getting that double swoop over the line, but the ‘ideal world’ scenario remains that the Reds could somehow pull it off.
There might be questions at either club over who gets minutes and in which competitions, with big-money additions wanting big roles, but it is a better question to have to answer than not having enough quality and depth.
Part of the reason that Brighton can demand such a large fee for Caicedo is that there are so few elite holding midfielders out there. Caicedo is one, Declan Rice (who already moved to Arsenal for a similarly colossal sum) is arguably another, and Liverpool missed out on Aurélien Tchouaméni to Real Madrid last summer.
Without Caicedo or Lavia, that would be an issue for Liverpool, but we’re talking about the dream outcome here.
Elsewhere in the squad, the Liverpool forward line speaks for itself. Mohamed Salah is the only certainty for his position, while Darwin Núñez might be fifth in the pecking order but things could change quickly. For the other three senior attackers, any combination could appear and make themselves the first choice.
Few names have even been mentioned in terms of possible Liverpool interest, though a left-sided player is the priority, and not bringing someone in for that position would represent a significant risk. As it stands, defensive midfield and at center-back are two obvious weaknesses that need to be addressed.
Dream Liverpool squad in ideal scenario:
Goalkeepers: Alisson, Kelleher, Adrián
Defenders: Alexander-Arnold, Bradley, Konaté, Van Dijk, Gomez, Matip, New Center-Back Signing, Robertson, Tsimikas
Midfield: Caicedo, Lavia, Szoboszlai, Mac Allister, Jones, Elliott, Thiago, Bajčetić, Morton (plus young players who could be involved, including Bobby Clark)
