Liverpool among PL trio coveting £55m gem who won 87% of his duels in recent clash v Reds – report

Liverpool are reportedly among three clubs showing an interest in one Premier League midfielder ahead of the summer transfer window.

According to CaughtOffside, the Reds are joined by Manchester United and Arsenal in coveting Brighton youngster Carlos Baleba, for whom the Seagulls may be prepared to entertain offers in the region of £55m.

Having only joined Roberto De Zerbi’s side from Lille last year, the 20-year-old has impressed during his first few months in English football.

Playing primarily in the same defensive midfield role that ex-Brighton favourite Alexis Mac Allister occupied at Liverpool in the first half of this season, Baleba has stood out as a player who’s already very comfortable with the rigours of the Premier League.

He won seven of his eight duels (87.5%) in the Seagulls’ 2-1 defeat at Anfield four weeks ago (Sofascore), while he ranks among the top 15% of positional peers in Europe’s five main leagues over the past 12 months for tackles, blocks and successful aerial duels per game (FBref).

Much will obviously depend on whether Arne Slot – who seems likely to be appointed as our new manager – sees a first-team place for the young Cameroonian at Anfield, where competition for a starting berth could be plentiful.

In addition to Mac Allister, Wataru Endo is the current go-to option at the base of Liverpool’s midfield, while the Dutchman could also choose to deploy Trent Alexander-Arnold in that role and install Conor Bradley as our first-choice right-back.

It seems that, as things currently stand, the Reds merely have Baleba on their radar as a possible transfer option rather than him being a priority target. Let’s see if the reported interest blossoms into anything more concrete over the next few weeks and months.