Liverpool probe FOUR midfield transfers as Monaco set new price for January sale of Lamine Camara

Liverpool have four midfield targets on their radar as they plot a mid-season addition for Andoni Iraola, and with Ligue 1 side Monaco having already reached a decision on whether they will sanction a January exit for Senegalese star Lamine Camara.

The Reds brought in four first-team signings this summer, with Ronald Araujo and Jeremy Jacquet recruited to bolster the defence, and with Victor Munoz and the £123m Bradley Barcola signed to add a spark to the attack.

However, despite Iraola needing certain metrics from the high-pressing game he likes to impose, Liverpool failed to add some much-needed steel to their engine room – despite sanctioning the sale of homegrown star Curtis Jones to Inter Milan.

The exit of Jones will see Iraola offer talented youngster Trey Nyoni more opportunities to impress, though with the January window just over three months away, Liverpool are already seeking further options to boost Iraola’s engine room.

On Friday, our transfer correspondent Graeme Bailey revealed that Liverpool held talks with Inter about the possibility of signing Aleksandar Stankovic – the son of Nerazzurri club legend Dejan – as part of those talks to offload Jones, although a potential move never saw light of day.

Nonetheless, he is one of four stars the Reds remain keen on, with journalists Ben Jacobs and David Ornstein also confirming that Camara, Bournemouth’s Alex Scott and Manu Kone of Roma are also in their sights.

Speaking to The RedmenTV, Jacobs said of Camara: “Liverpool were making calls to the camp of Camara, making it clear that if he stayed [and didn’t join Chelsea], he would be a player relatively high in their thinking for 2027.

“He’s not the only one. You’ve got Manu Kone, who Chelsea had looked at as well. And Alex Scott, I think he will be on Liverpool’s radar too.”

Ornstein, meanwhile, has also confirmed Liverpool interest in Kone, explaining: “Liverpool would have had to look at options, even though they were only going to sign a midfielder, despite Curtis Jones leaving, if a further departure occurred.

“Camara was one option. I think there’s interest in Kone of Roma, and they’ll have other options as well.”

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Monaco make decision on January sale of Lamine Camara

After the collapse of Camara’s move to Chelsea, it’s been widely reported that the Senegalese star figures very highly on Liverpool’s list of targets for next year, amid claims the Reds could launch a January bid to sign the player.

Now, according to Jacobs, Monaco have reached a decision on the potential mid-season exit for the 22-year-old – and there looks to be a strong chance that they will be open to his sale, particularly after missing out on the sale of Folarin Balogun to Everton.

Jacobs also notes that Liverpool are the ‘ones to watch’ with regard to the Camara transfer, with senior Reds figures making a series of calls, including on deadline day, to inform the player he was very much high in their thinking for 2027 if he didn’t make the move to Stamford Bridge.

And the report adds that while Liverpool ‘never intended to add another midfielder following the departure of Curtis Jones to Inter, unless they sold Alexis Mac Allister’, the Reds are very much planning a midfield addition next year.

In addition, Jacobs claims Camara ‘still dreams of making a move to the Premier League and leaving Monaco in January is not discounted.’

Chelsea’s second offer for Camara was understood to be worth £47m (€55m, $63.5m), which Monaco had initially accepted before changing their minds.

However, in a new update for talkSPORT, Jacobs added: “My understanding is that Monaco still believe they can still get €70m (£60m, $81m), and they want to keep the player now.”

Meanwhile, the timing of Mac Allister’s emotional press conference to express his upset at Liverpool’s failure to hand him a new deal could have a strong ulterior motive, two pundits have explained.

Despite that, Fabrizio Romano reckons the writing could be on the wall for the 53-cap Argentina star at Anfield, having revealed the harsh ‘realities’ of his situation.