Liverpool have been told that Brighton midfielder Moises Caicedo could be the perfect replacement for Fabinho.
Fabinho has had a difficult season, coming in for plenty of criticism along the way. This has led to suggestions that the 29-year-old could soon need to be replaced in the Liverpool midfield.
And according to former England striker Darren Bent, Caicedo could be the man to succeed him at Anfield. Speaking to Rio Ferdinand’s FIVE YouTube channel, Bent suggested that although he’d love the Ecuadorian to sign for Arsenal, he could in fact be ideal at Liverpool.
“Liverpool. That’s the one that makes the most sense,” said the 39-year-old, when asked where he could see Caicedo ending up. “
“Obviously, I’d love him to come to Arsenal. But outside of Arsenal, that’s the one that makes the most sense. Fabinho’s getting older, hasn’t got the legs anymore.”
Caicedo gets £100m price-tag
As things stand, it would be a surprise to see Caicedo join Liverpool this summer. It isn’t as though the 21-year-old isn’t of interest to the Reds. On the contrary, they’re said to rate him very highly, and reportedly have done for a long time.
But unfortunately, it looks like he could cost far more than Liverpool are likely to be willing to pay.
Latest reports put Brighton’s asking price at £100m for Caicedo. Not to down-play or disrespect the young man, but that is crazy money for a player with 41 Premier League starts. No chance.
The Ecuador international is clearly a hugely talented player who’d improve Liverpool’s current midfield. But he is yet to show that he can make the jump to a higher level, or do so on a consistent basis.
For that kind of price, we can’t see Arsenal or anyone else stumping up the cash to land Caicedo either. As a result, we do wonder whether Brighton will get their wish and end up keeping their midfielder for next season.
Then, having had another season of Premier League football as well as a Europa League campaign, he might be ready to be talked about with those kinds of figures.
Depending on what Liverpool do this summer, they may still need a midfielder like Caicedo in a year’s time. So, if he doesn’t get his move this summer, we might see him at Anfield then. Unless that happens though, this doesn’t seem like a goer to us.