Chelsea came close to signing Monaco’s Lamine Camara in the summer and Liverpool are now trying to race ahead for a possible deal.

On deadline day, the Blues seemed to have made a decisive move for the midfielder. Earning from Enzo Fernandez’s exit was helping them, but at the end the French club decided against Camara’s exit.

This hasn’t impacted the player’s situation at Monaco. He has played 12 times in all competitions, starting in every single league game of the campaign.

His stock remains as high as it was, with Liverpool ready to attempt a deal.

Bid on the way

Tuttomercatoweb note that Chelsea are now likely to have moved on to Bournemouth’s Alex Scott. This leaves the Reds to look at Camara as a target and they are ready to move in January.

Liverpool are now expected to initiate discussions with Monaco in the next few weeks, as they want to lay down the foundation of a move.

The outlet are confident that an offer could be on the way. The Merseyside club want to offer €50m for the Senegalese, as they harbour a very specific intention of signing him in January instead of waiting until the summer.

Monaco’s current demands aren’t clear but Chelsea’s deal was expected to cost them around €45m including bonuses. After some much-needed game time this season, a slightly higher fee can prove to be enough.

Our take: Deal can go down as a bargain

In the summer, the general values of midfielders rose largely because of Tottenham’s huge spendings on Sandro Tonali and Mateus Fernandes. That could make anywhere around €50m quite a bargain for Liverpool, especially as arrivals from France often do well in the Premier League.

Camara will add more steel to the Reds’ midfield and he is also very good on the ball. This will make Liverpool better in possession at a point when Ryan Gravenberch hasn’t had a great few months.

The Senegalese midfielder is still only 21 and has a high ceiling, which is another bonus.