David Ornstein sensationally confirms Liverpool hunt for world-class midfield deal, but one stumbling block appears

Trusted reporter David Ornstein has confirmed Liverpool are hoping to take their midfield to the next level with the incredible signing of Real Madrid star Aurelien Tchouameni, although it will take a massive push to complete the deal.

Liverpool have already signed Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai this summer, but Jurgen Klopp still needs a new defensive midfielder. That is because experienced options Fabinho and Jordan Henderson have gone to Saudi Arabia by joining Al Ittihad and Al Ettifaq respectively.

Liverpool have attempted to sign Brighton star Moises Caicedo and Romeo Lavia of Southampton. After having three bids rejected for Lavia, whom Southampton rate at £50million, the Reds turned their attention to Caicedo and submitted a club-record £110m offer.

This was accepted, but Caicedo soon told Liverpool he only wants to sign for Chelsea. And the Blues are on the verge of making that transfer a reality after eclipsing Liverpool’s bid with a £115m proposal of their own.

There have been concerns at Anfield that they might miss out on Lavia too, with Chelsea pushing to land him in a major double deal. Luckily for Liverpool fans though, The Guardian state they have reached a £60m agreement with Southampton for Lavia.

Even before Fabinho and Henderson were sold, Klopp was pushing Liverpool chiefs to sign a new defensive midfielder. As such, he could still probably do with another new arrival in the position even after Lavia joins.

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And this is where Madrid’s Tchouameni comes in. Reports over the past six months have repeatedly linked Tchouameni with a move to Liverpool.

And writing for The Athletic, Ornstein has confirmed that the interest is there. He states that Liverpool are one of several leading European teams who hold ‘long-term admiration’ for the Frenchman.

Liverpool long-term admirers of Real Madrid ace

Liverpool’s interest originally stems from the player’s time at Monaco. They were in talks with the Ligue 1 side last summer, only to be beaten to Tchouameni by Madrid.

Unfortunately for Klopp, Liverpool will once again struggle to finalise this move. That is because Madrid ‘view Tchouameni as a key player’ and have no intention of letting him go this summer.

Liverpool can try their luck with a bid of similar size to the Caicedo proposal, but it is unlikely Madrid will accept this.

Plus, Tchouameni is also fully sold on the Madrid project and wants to continue shining for them. As such, it will be hard for Liverpool to convince him to leave the Spanish capital.

It looks like Klopp will have to settle for Lavia this summer, should the Belgium international choose Liverpool over Chelsea.

Depending on how Lavia does during his first season on Merseyside, Liverpool might dip back into the transfer market next summer to try and land a top-class midfielder. But Tchouameni is unlikely to be coming to England any time soon.

Meanwhile, Liverpool are ‘expected’ to launch a move to improve a different part of the first team, as per a report.