Liverpool make U-turn as Prem star becomes shock ‘main target’ as Klopp plots £100m+ double raid

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·10 August 2023

Liverpool make U-turn as Prem star becomes shock ‘main target’ as Klopp plots £100m+ double raid

Moises Caicedo, Alexis Mac Allister and Pervis Estupinan.

According to reports, Liverpool are considering a move for Brighton and Hove Albion defender Pervis Estupinan, who enjoyed a great debut season in 2022/23.

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The Premier League outfit paid around £15m to sign the left-back from Villarreal last summer. He was recruited as the replacement for Marc Cucurella, who joined Chelsea before last season in a deal worth around £60m.

The Ecuador international immediately hit the ground running in the Premier League in 2022/23 as he enjoyed a brilliant debut season for Brighton. He made 41 appearances across all competitions as they finished sixth to qualify for the Europa League.

Liverpool have been focused on signing new midfielders this summer. Having already spent £95m to sign Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai, they are now looking at Southampton’s Romeo Lavia and Brighton’s Moises Caicedo.

Lavia is valued at £50m while Brighton’s asking price for Caicedo is £100m. Chelsea have been leading the race to sign the Seagulls standout this summer but they have reportedly now been ‘outbid’ by Liverpool.

The Reds could end up signing three players from Brighton this summer with Estupinan also on their radar, according to Football Transfers.

Liverpool are said to have ‘expressed concrete interest’ in Estupinan as ‘Jurgen Klopp is a huge fan of the Ecuadorian left-back’ who he sees ‘as an eventual replacement to Andy Robertson’. The report adds.

‘Sources close to the matter reveal that Liverpool initially had an opportunity to acquire Estupinan’s services before he joined Brighton. ‘We understand that the player was offered to the Merseyside club while negotiations were ongoing with the agent of Carlos Soler, a midfielder Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp was keen on bringing to Anfield last summer. ‘At that time, the club deemed Robertson sufficient for their upcoming season and so opted not to move for Estupinan. ‘However, an assessment of Robertson’s fitness situation has prompted Liverpool to reconsider their options and explore alternatives, with the Reds now on the lookout to strengthen that side of the pitch by making Estupinan one of their main targets.’

Liverpool are understood to be working with a limited budget this summer so it is difficult to see them being in a position to sign Caicedo and Estupinan in a double raid that would significantly exceed £100m.

Robertson is still only 29 and Klopp also has Kostas Tsimikas to choose from at left-back. So the German head coach is still well-covered in this position heading into the 2023/24 campaign.