Liverpool want to sign Crystal Palace midfielder Cheick Doucoure after Chelsea pipped them to the services of Moises Caicedo and Romeo Lavia, according to the Independent.
Manager Jurgen Klopp is in dire need of reinforcements in the middle of the park after losing James Milner, Fabinho and Jordan Henderson this summer, and while the Reds had their £110 million bid accepted by Brighton and Hove Albion for the Ecuador international, the 21-year-old opted to join the Blues.
Southampton also accepted a £60m offer from Liverpool for Lavia, but the Belgium international also turned them down for a move to the Stamford Bridge club, with an official announcement expected to be made soon.
Luckily for the Merseyside club, Doucoure is keen to move to Anfield, and the final price to land him could come in at under £50m, but Palace are wary of losing too many players this summer, with Wilfried Zaha, James McArthur and Luka Milivojevic gone, while Chelsea are closing in on a move for Michael Olise.
The 23-year-old Mali international is the ideal number 6 Liverpool are looking for due to his brilliant ball-intercepting abilities, and he is also capable of making an impact in the attacking third having been involved in 11 league goals over the last three seasons.
The Reds are also keeping tabs on Fulham’s Joao Paulinha and OGC Nice’s Khephren Thuram, but Doucoure is seen as a more viable option to get a deal done for right now, and the club will be keen to quickly get a deal over the line.
Liverpool were poor in the middle of the park during their opening Premier League game of the season against Chelsea on Sunday, and they could do with a quality addition like Doucoure, but whether they can actually land their man remains to be seen given how things have gone for them in the transfer market in recent days.
