Updated: 23 May 2026 13:06 BST |
4 min read
Liverpool sporting director Richard Hughes is ready to address the club’s midfield issues by signing off agreements for Monaco’s Lamine Camara and Lens’ powerhouse Mamadou Sangare, according to reports in France.
The Reds spent big in the transfer market last summer, but Arne Slot’s side have endured a disappointing campaign that sees them clinging on to Champions League football next season as they lie fifth in the Premier League with one match remaining.
One area of the side that has come in for particular criticism has been the midfield, leading to suggestions that Alexis Mac Allister could be on his way out of Anfield this summer. But Liverpool have readymade replacements for the World Cup winner lined up in the form of Camara and Sangare.
Camara and Sangare Liverpool targets
Top of Liverpool’s midfield shortlist is Monaco midfielder Camara, and the Reds are stepping up their interest in the player following Newcastle emerging as a potential rival, FootMercato reports.
The 22-year-old, who has three goals and two assists in Ligue 1 this season, has become known for the intensity which he puts into his performances – something that has been strangely lacking in the Reds’ play for much of the season.
Monaco have slapped an asking price of €50m on the Senegal international, which appears reasonable given the volume of interest that has emerged in him as well as his Estimated Transfer Value (ETV) of €50m.
Sangare, meanwhile, has enjoyed a rapid upward trajectory in his career over the course of the last 12 months. Signed by Lens from Rapid Vienna last August for a fee of €8m, he has looked increasingly impressive at the heart of the Coupe de France finalists’ midfield.
He epitomises the type of midfielder that Ligue 1 clubs have sold to Premier League clubs in recent years – Cheick Doucoure, Yves Bissouma and Carlos Baleba – in that he is physically strong and has apparently boundless energy. Though a year older than Camara, he is the weaker of the pair, yet his side are still hopeful of a €50m fee.
Transfers have ‘a sense of inevitability’
This early summer transfer action has been greeted with positivity from Liverpool experts, such as Bence Bocsak, who says: “This double transfer has a sense of inevitability to it. This is Edwards’ footprint and it will be the stuff of dreams for Liverpool fans when he pulls it off.”
Despite these players arriving to provide the type of energy that the Reds have lacked, there are questions to be answered over the value they will get, particularly from the Sangare deal.
His ETV sits at just €11.2m, and though it has climbed sharply all season, a fee of €50m would appear to be too high for the Coupe de France winner.
What these deals do show, however, is that Liverpool have identified their problems and are willing to act quickly – and invest decisively – to solve them.
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