Reports: Liverpool may have reached an agreement with Lamine Camara

A report says Liverpool may have reached an agreement with Monaco midfielder Lamine Camara as the club seeks to sign him during the winter transfer window. Lewis Steele, the Daily Mail’s Liverpool correspondent, reported that sources at Chelsea believe the club may have agreed terms with the player.

Chelsea were linked with Camara on the final day of the summer transfer window, after agreeing a €55 million deal with Monaco and a six-year contract with the player. But the move did not go through, and Camara remained at Monaco after striker Folarin Balogun’s transfer to Everton fell through. Liverpool later joined the race to sign him, with both clubs also interested in Bournemouth player Alex Scott.

Steele pointed to injuries to Dominik Szoboszlai and Ryan Gravenberch, and to the fact that Trey Nyoni is 19, as factors that could prompt Liverpool to bring forward its move for Camara. Monaco’s asking price for the Senegalese player has risen from €55 million to €70 million, equivalent to £58.5 million, and the report said Liverpool appears ready to pay that amount.

Liverpool had previously prepared dossiers on Camara and Roma player Manu Koné as alternative options to Scott. Reports have also said there has been renewed contact with Camara’s agents, and that Monaco is ready to let him leave midway through the season if its demands are met. A source close to Liverpool said the club had probably completed the preliminary work on the deal, while Football Insider reported that Monaco had given the green light for a bid.