New Fabinho: Liverpool hold talks to sign "one of the best 6s in the world"

It's going to be another big summer for Liverpool, and Arne Slot is expected to lead the charge.

On numerous occasions this season, it has felt as though the Dutch coach has been skating on thin ice. Liverpool will not lift silverware this year, but they have found their feet in recent weeks in the Premier League, and they should qualify for next year's Champions League.

However, the Anfield side are entering the summer market with a number of big questions: Will Slot truly make it to the start of the new campaign? Who will Liverpool sign when Mohamed Salah departs on a free transfer? Will this squad compete for the Premier League title?

There is a lot to consider, and while Liverpool's defensive problems have been eased after the January transfer window, with Jeremy Jacquet signed for £60m, the Anfield side still have a mountain of problems in midfield.

Liverpool in talks with Mac Allister upgrade

Liverpool revamped their midfield three years ago, but they are going to need to ring the changes once again this summer, and Alexis Mac Allister is at risk of being axed.

The Argentina international, 27, was been abject this year, right at the epicentre of Liverpool's many problems. It might be time for Liverpool to make a change; if they persist with their current midfield options, it might have dire consequences for the longevity of Slot's tenure.

Well, according to intermediaries associated with TEAMtalk, Liverpool have held talks with Real Madrid over a cash-plus-player deal that would see Mac Allister head to the Spanish capital, with Eduardo Camavinga moving the other way.

Spanish sources claim that Real Madrid would be willing to part with the France international for around £61m this summer, which would be a reasonably affordable figure for a player who could grow into a mainstay on Merseyside.

Liverpool need to spend this summer, and with Mac Allister so horribly out of sorts for almost a year now, this could be the perfect way for Slot and sporting director Richard Hughes to freshen up the engine room.

Why Camavinga would be perfect for Liverpool

It wouldn't be the first time that Liverpool had signed a Real Madrid player who failed to make the top grade at the Santiago Bernabeu.

Let's cast out minds back to Fabinho, who did join Jurgen Klopp's Liverpool from Monaco but only after rising to the fore with Los Blancos, making one appearance for the senior side (and assisting during that game) after graduating from the academy.

Fabinho, now 32 and playing in Saudi Arabia, is one of the toughest midfielders of his generation, and Camavinga could emerge as Slot's own version next season, hailed as a "world-class" player by talent scout Jacek Kulig.

After all, the 23-year-old has shown his capacity to put in 10/10 performances against English sides such as Liverpool. His passing is incisive, his movements dynamic, his challenges crunching.

Across 21 La Liga appearances this season, Camavinga has proven precisely why he's been hailed as "one of the best 6's in world football" by writer Harvey Diamonds.

He has notably completed 65% of his dribbles and has won 63% of his duels. He is so crisp on the ball, only losing possession 5.2 times on average each matchday. It's exactly what Liverpool need, someone slotting into the No. 6 role and potentially allowing Ryan Gravenberch to play with more freedom in a roaming midfield position.

There's certainly something Fabinho-esque about that. The Brazilian was a combative central presence, but he was intelligent and composed on the ball, always making the right decision.

Camavinga needs to show that he can play consistently and avoid the clamping jaws of injury, but if he can nail down a place in Liverpool's midfield, he could follow in Fabinho's footsteps, proving his 'world-class' quality after leaving Madrid.

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