Gary Neville has urged Liverpool chiefs to break the bank and sign Moises Caicedo for more than £100million in order to kickstart Jurgen Klopp's second coming at Anfield.
Klopp has been busy reshaping the Reds' midfield during the summer transfer window which closes on September 1. Attack-minded stars Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai have been brought in, while Liverpool have seen five midfielders depart either on free transfers or for decent-sized fees.
While it was evident throughout the course of last season that the Reds needed a makeover in their engine room, such a drastic clear-out has left Klopp without a recognised defensive midfielder with only five days until their Premier League opener away to Chelsea. Liverpool's top target is Southampton starlet Romeo Lavia, but after having three bids worth up to £46m rejected, Neville has called on the Reds' owners to move for £105m-rated Caicedo, who wants to leave Brighton and has been labelled "the real deal."
"They should just be going and getting Caicedo now for him and saying 'right, there you go, that's dealt with, it's sorted, it's £100m'," the Manchester United icon declared on the Overlap. "But they're not. They're trying to pinch someone off Southampton for 40 million quid [Lavia], who's a good player don't get me wrong, but Jurgen Klopp needs the real deal.
"They can't challenge Manchester City with a player who's got potential, they need to do it with a player who's real. I do think it's going to come back on the owners at some point."
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Fellow pundit and legendary former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher echoed Neville's thoughts, having labelled Liverpool's laboured pursuit of 19-year-old Belgian wonderkid Lavia "embarrassing" after their latest offer was turned down by Southampton this week. Carragher believes that going after Caicedo is the right move, as the combined £52m which they received from Saudi Arabian clubs for Fabinho and Jordan Henderson can offset Brighton's lofty asking price.
Have your say! Should Liverpool break the bank for Moises Caicedo? Join the debate in the comments section.
Moises Caicedo has made it clear that he wants to leave Brighton (Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images for Premier League)"You might think Caicedo is overpriced, I get that, but Fabinho and Henderson were massively overpriced," the ex-Reds centre-back explained. "You've won on that side, so you might have to pay a bit extra on this side, just do it."
Carragher also tweeted on Monday in reaction to the Lavia news: "This is embarrassing. Liverpool for years now have got deals done quickly with no fuss. If you don't think he's worth 50M move on, if you really want him pay it. Also not sure why LFC aren't in for Caicedo, yes it's a lot of money but Liverpool got big money for JH/FAB."
Like Lavia's uncertain future at Southampton, Caicedo could well leave Brighton before deadline day. The 21-year-old Ecuador international missed training on Monday after growing frustrated with his club's reluctance to sell him, despite signing a new four-and-a-half-year deal following a failed attempt to leave in January when Arsenal and Chelsea were in for him.
Manager Roberto de Zerbi admitted last month: "We need to wait and see what happens with Caicedo, then we know what we need to do. I've not spoken with him yet, but of course I'd like him to stay. If he does leave, we need to buy another great player with the same characteristics and qualities."
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