Liverpool join race to sign “one of the best CMs in the PL”

Over the last few years, Liverpool’s midfield has undergone a serious rebuild with the final pieces of the puzzle looking to be completed this summer.

Despite Dominik Szoboszlai’s arrival two years ago, Florian Wirtz – a £116m signing – has been added to Anfield’s core and he’s ready to take the Premier League by storm.

However, despite the likes of Wirtz, Alexis Mac Allister and Ryan Gravenberch all arriving, Richard Hughes and Co are not content.

Indeed, they reportedly feel as though they still need a natural defensive midfielder. Graverberch filled in admirably last term, notably winning the Premier League’s Young Player of the Year award, but he’s forward-thinking by nature and not the long-term holding midfielder that Arne Slot desires.

So, where could they look?

Liverpool’s hunt for another midfielder

In recent years, Liverpool have done a lot of work on signing a new holding midfielder but haven’t quite got anything over the line.

Last summer, it was Martin Zubimendi, now of Arsenal, who they tried to lure to Anfield. They were confident too, only for the Spanish maestro to remain at Real Sociedad for another year.

Before that, there was Romeo Lavia and Moises Caicedo. Liverpool wanted to spend big money on Caicedo but he ultimately chose Chelsea.

The Ecuadorian was a key player for Brighton and made himself a household name while on the south coast.

Carlos Baleba – Caicedo’s replacement as the Amex – is now earning himself a similar reputation in Brighton’s midfield.

He’s attracted big interest from Manchester United this summer with David Ornstein reporting that the Red Devils want to do a deal. However, it could be a difficult one to finalise this summer.

Now, according to Caught Offside, a number of other Premier League teams have also registered their interest in the 21-year-old.

Indeed, it’s revealed that Liverpool, Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester City, Newcastle United and Spurs are also all monitoring the Cameroonian’s situation.

However, Brighton reportedly have no interest in selling the midfielder and according to prior reports, it could take an almighty bid of £104m to prise him away.

Why Baleba could finally replace Fabinho

Liverpool are not missing many pieces of the puzzle heading into the 2024/25 campaign. They’ve added Wirtz – one of the best attacking midfielders around – and signed Hugo Ekitike, a player who some suggest could be “the next Mbappe.”

However, if you are looking for areas to critique, then it would be the defence. Amid links to Marc Guehi, the Reds want to sign a central defender before the window shuts with Joe Gomez injured, Ibrahima Konate linked with an exit and Jarell Quansah having already left Anfield.

Well, the other area of perceived weakness might be in holding midfield. Gravenberch was exceptional in that role last season, officially crowned as the Premier League’s best young player, but you sense that was only a short-term fix. The Dutchman’s future surely lies as a more advanced number 8.

As a result, the big-money addition of Baleba could finally see Liverpool replace Fabinho.

Since the Brazilian left following a hugely successful stint on Merseyside, the Reds have struggled to really replace him.

Indeed, Fabinho was a rock during the Jurgen Klopp era. After the midfielder left, the German told the club’s website that “Fab was for so long the insurance we had in midfield.”

The German continued: “He always gave us the freedom to play all the fancy stuff. He was involved in that from time to time as well but loved to be the hoover for the team, loved to do all the dirty work for the team.”

Baleba is very much cut from a similar cloth, but perhaps possesses more power and energy. Described by data analyst Ben Mattinson as “one of the best midfielders in the Premier League”, the young Brighton gem has quickly become a force to be reckoned with.

In the words of Seagulls writer Ryan Adsett, the youngster is a “powerhouse” and that comes across in the stats.

Comparing Baleba in the 2024/25 campaign to Fabinho in his prime and there are some similarities, coupled with some big differences.

The duo both completed their passes with the same degree of accuracy and made a similar number of tackles and interceptions.

However, if we are to refer to that ‘powerhouse’ nature, we can see that as far as progressing the ball and getting up the pitch are concerned, Fabinho is bettered by the Brighton superstar.

He’s got a huge amount of energy in the locker and if Liverpool are to sign a player with Fabinho’s defensive work-rate but Gravenberch’s progressive ability, Baleba looks pretty ideal.

Liverpool have bigger priorities this summer, of course they do, but if the opportunity to sign the midfielder arises in the coming years, the Reds must be all over it.