Liverpool ‘threaten to join’ Chelsea in Caicedo race as Reds hit by Saudi plans

Liverpool will reportedly join the race to sign Brighton star Moises Caicedo if both Fabinho and Jordan Henderson depart this summer. Both players have been the subject of interest from Saudi sides recently, and the pair are said to have agreed on respective lucrative deals in the Middle East.

Jurgen Klopp made it no secret heading into this summer that he would like to rebuild his midfield, allowing James Milner, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Naby Keita all to depart as free agents to create space in his squad.

The Reds welcomed the arrival of Alexis Mac Allister from Brighton early in the transfer window before activating the £60million release clause in Dominik Szoboszlai’s contract at RB Leipzig. However, they are now preparing to dip back into the market if Henderson and Fabinho opt to become the latest stars to head to the Saudi Pro League.

According to talkSPORT, if both players are sold, Liverpool ‘will consider’ entering the race to sign Brighton star Caicedo. Chelsea are front-runners to secure the signature of the Ecuador international at this stage, though they have not reached an agreement for the playmaker despite weeks of negotiations.

Brighton value Caicedo at £100m and are willing to hold out for such a fee after seeing Arsenal fork out £105m for Declan Rice, who they rate similarly to their No 25. However, Chelsea were hopeful of striking a deal for around the £75m after their verbal bid of £60m was rejected promptly earlier this summer.

The Blues’ failure to wrap up a deal for Caicedo has left the door open for Liverpool to pounce, in what would be welcomed by Brighton given their desire to receive the maximum fee for the 21-year-old. However, it remains to be seen whether the Reds are willing to fork out such a mammoth amount given that they walked away from talks for Jude Bellingham due to similar finances being required to acquire his services.

Liverpool would hope to earn at least £50m from the sales of Fabinho and Henderson if both deals are concluded, despite Al Ettifaq previously being hopeful of signing the latter for a minimal fee. Klopp is said to have approved of the departure of his club captain, though the Reds will demand a suitable fee for the England international given he has two years left on his contract at Anfield.

In contrast, Al Ittihad are looking to wrap up a lucrative deal for Fabinho imminently and are in the process of preparing a £40m bid for the Brazilian – which would provide much-needed funds to pursue Caicedo with.