Liverpool Eye Monaco Midfielder Lamine Camara as Transfer Window Closes

Liverpool have been handed the chance to move for Monaco midfielder Lamine Camara in the final stretch of the transfer window – and he may not be the only Senegal international heading for Anfield.

The offer, reported by Ben Jacobs, drops onto the Reds’ desk at a time when the club’s business has been steady rather than spectacular. Jeremy Jacquet and Victor Munoz have arrived on permanent deals, while Ronald Araujo has joined on loan from Barcelona to stiffen the defence.

A breakthrough has finally come in attack with an agreement in place for PSG winger Bradley Barcola after a summer-long pursuit. Yet Andoni Iraola is not done. Far from it.

Iraola wants more – especially out wide

Speaking before Liverpool’s clash with Nottingham Forest, Iraola made it clear the club are still pushing to strengthen before the window closes on September 1.

“The word is ‘ideally’, ideally is the magic word,” he said when asked if he wanted more signings elsewhere in the squad.

“In the end, there are certain things that you can do, certain things that we don’t know if we can do. But it’s true that the priority has been to strengthen in the wide areas.

“Still, we have four, five days, I’m sure if we can improve other areas, we will.”

Barcola sits high on that list. So does Crystal Palace’s Ismaila Sarr. Now Camara has been thrown into the mix.

Camara on the table for Liverpool and Chelsea

Jacobs reports that Monaco have offered Camara to both Liverpool and Chelsea as a “late window opportunity”, with Crystal Palace having already seen a bid rejected earlier in the month.

Liverpool’s need in midfield has sharpened since Curtis Jones’ sale to Inter Milan. The club are keen to elevate highly-rated youngster Trey Nyoni, but the departure has left a gap that a ready-made central option like Camara could fill.

The situation in Monaco is moving quickly. Journalist Luca Bendoni revealed that the Ligue 1 side have reached an agreement in principle with Cruz Azul for midfielder Erik Lira in a deal worth around €10m including add-ons. That deal, he added, hinges on Monaco completing the sale of a non-EU player – a category Camara falls into.

If Monaco cash in, Liverpool are firmly in the conversation.

Double Senegal swoop still on the cards

The Camara link has sparked fresh talk of a Senegalese double deal. Journalist La Loumance in Senegal has suggested that Liverpool could yet sign both Camara and Sarr before the deadline, hinting that Camara is “not the only Senegalese who could sign with Liverpool.”

That line arrived just as The Independent’s Miguel Delaney reported that Liverpool are “still pursuing” a move for Sarr, despite new Palace boss Pierre Sage publicly insisting the forward is not for sale.

Confusion surrounds the scale of Liverpool’s push. Reports claimed a £50m bid from Anfield had been rejected, but TEAMtalk’s Graeme Bailey has since been told that no formal offer has actually gone in. Liverpool have made an enquiry about Sarr’s situation, while it is the player’s camp who have been driving the possibility, offering him to the Reds in the hope of turning interest into a concrete bid.

So the door is not shut. It is being nudged from both sides.

A frantic finish awaits

What is clear is that Liverpool’s recruitment team are braced for a frantic final few days of the window. Wide players remain the priority, but a central midfielder is now firmly back on the agenda, with late interest expected to centre on someone Iraola knows well.

Names are being offered. Decisions are looming. With September 1 racing into view, Liverpool must choose whether Camara and Sarr become the next pieces in Iraola’s Anfield rebuild – or whether this window passes with opportunity left on the table.