Liverpool could beat Arsenal to a £100m midfield signing this summer, as both teams look to bolster the centre of the park.
The Gunners are currently a whopping 29 points ahead of the Reds, top of the table and enjoying very different fortunes. Both sides are looking to add midfield reinforcement this summer though and with both clubs having similar budgets, there could be some competition between the pair.
Though Liverpool look like they could miss out on Champions League football, however, they might still be able to land a blow to Arsenal when it comes to a nine-figure target that has been linked with both sides.
The Mail are reporting that the Merseysiders are interested in bringing Brighton & Hove Albion star, Moises Caicedo, to Anfield this summer, after the Ecuadorian nearly moved to north London in the January transfer market.
Caicedo signed a new deal under Roberto De Zerbi to protect his value but if the Seagulls receive a good enough offer, there is precedent that they could let him leave to a Premier League rival. Yet the 21-year-old isn't the only big-money midfield target that Liverpool and Arsenal have shared in the past.
Last year, Declan Rice was believed to be on the Reds' radar. Attention has since shifted to the likes of Jude Bellingham for Liverpool's recruitment team – though it's possible that the likes of Rice and Caicedo may still emerge as targets with so much in flux with other targets.
Bellingham is well thought of by Real Madrid and Manchester City, potentially pricing Liverpool out of a move, while another big target of theirs, Mason Mount, may take himself off the market if he performs well under Frank Lampard until the end of the season at Chelsea. Matheus Nunes of Wolverhampton Wanderers remains a target – but whether he moves could depend on Wolves' Premier League status come May.
That leaves Caicedo as one of the easier options to sign, with Brighton having set a price for him and the player being willing to move. Arsenal may well bow out of the running for him, should they sign Rice.
Caicedo is worth €55 million, according to Transfermarkt.
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Josko Gvardiol is a top target, with Mason Mount on the wishlist, too. Seven other players are in the summer plans, with an eye on the future as well. A player dubbed "the next Luka Modric" could be targeted, while Benfica's latest starlet Florentino Luis is being considered. 15-year-old Kendry Paez is also being linked.
