David Lynch said he would not be surprised if Liverpool had already done all the groundwork on Lamine Camara, but he said he does not think a deal will be done in January. Camara is a midfield target for Liverpool and Chelsea.
Liverpool's midfield options
TEAMtalk reported that Liverpool have earmarked both Camara and Bournemouth’s Alex Scott as options. Fabrizio Romano said: "So, Liverpool are following Lamine Camara. They have been tracking him for a long time. There have been some calls regarding Alex Scott, and Liverpool have also been tracking Lamine Camara."
Lynch's view on a January deal
Speaking on the Anfield Index YouTube channel, Lynch said: "I wouldn’t be surprised at all if they’ve already done all the groundwork on Lamine Camara. But that doesn’t mean January and €50 million, does it?"
Asked if he can see a deal being done in January, he added: "No, I don’t think so. And I think because I just think there’s a clear case here that to add a midfielder of that profile who will come in to play a lot of games, they need to get rid of one."
Adding, he said: "I don’t think there’ll be any desire to lose him."
Monaco's price and stance
TEAMtalk said Monaco are understood to be demanding nearer the €70m (£58m, $78m) mark for Camara. TEAMtalk also said Monaco were willing to accept €50m (£43m) for Camara in the summer and now appear willing to do business, though the price will be raised to nearer the €70m mark.
TEAMtalk said reports on Monday evening revealed that Monaco are prepared to sanction Camara's exit.
Chelsea and Liverpool's longer-term plan
The latest reports claim Chelsea have decided to abort their plans to sign Camara. Romano said: "What I can tell you is that Liverpool are planning to do something important in midfield in 2027, adding very good players to that area. So, these are not just back-up players. They want players who can be starters or future starters at Liverpool."
