Liverpool have reportedly added Crystal Palace's Cheick Doucoure to their list of midfield targets for the remainder of the summer window.
Despite splashing out £95m on the double capture of Dominik Szoboszlai and Alexis Mac Allister, Jurgen Klopp could still add to his engine room if one or both of Fabinho and Jordan Henderson depart in the coming weeks.
Both men are of interest to Saudi Arabian clubs, and Fabinho did not make the Reds' squad for their ongoing Germany training camp as Al-Ittihad push to complete a £40m deal for the Brazilian.
Meanwhile, club captain Henderson is supposedly wanted by Steven Gerrard's Al-Ettifaq, who are rumoured to have agreed personal terms with the 33-year-old over a lucrative £700,000-a-week deal.
Liverpool are not thought to have received a formal proposal from Al-Ettifaq, who were initially hoping to land Henderson on a free transfer, but the Reds have ruled out that possibility and could demand at least £20m to sanction a sale.
While Henderson did travel to Germany and could remain at Anfield if Al-Ettifaq fail to meet Liverpool's valuation, a new number six will be on the agenda if Fabinho completes a move to the Saudi Pro League.
Brighton & Hove Albion's Moises Caicedo and Southampton's Romeo Lavia have both been mentioned as ideal replacements, but Chelsea are at the head of the queue for the former, who will likely prove too expensive anyway.
Meanwhile, Southampton could also ask for at least £50m to let Lavia depart, forcing Liverpool to turn their attention to cheaper targets such as Manchester City's Kalvin Phillips and Fiorentina's Sofyan Amrabat.
According to Football Insider, Palace's Doucoure has now emerged as an ideal successor to Fabinho, having impressed with tough-tackling displays since arriving in the Premier League last year.
The 23-year-old slotted straight into a deep-lying role in the Eagles' midfield after joining in a £19.5m deal from French side Lens and set up three goals from 35 matches in all competitions.
Prior to his switch to Palace, Doucoure and Seko Fofana formed a strong bond in midfield for Lens, helping Les Sang et Or rise from a Ligue 2 club to European challengers in Ligue 1.
The Mali international is still under contract with Palace until 2027, though, and the Eagles would hope to make a profit on the £19.5m they shelled out to sign him 12 months ago.
Liverpool have already waved goodbye to a host of midfielders this summer, losing Naby Keita, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, James Milner on free transfers and offloading Leighton Clarkson to Aberdeen.
The Reds unsurprisingly chose not to make Arthur's loan deal from Juventus permanent either, while Fabio Carvalho will spend the 2023-24 campaign with German giants RB Leipzig.
Liverpool begin their run of pre-season matches against 2. Bundesliga side Karlsruher on Wednesday before rounding off their Germany camp against Greuther Furth on July 24. body check tags ::
