Liverpool's Midfield Dilemma: Should They Sign Lamine Camara?

Liverpool’s summer rebuild is not done yet. Not in midfield, at least.

Behind the noise of a blockbuster move for Bradley Barcola, the club are still scouring the market for a new option in the centre of the pitch – and Monaco’s Lamine Camara has moved firmly onto the radar, according to a reputable source on X.

Attack nearly sorted. Midfield? Not quite.

Liverpool are closing in on a £120m package to prise Barcola from PSG, a deal that would hand Andoni Iraola another high‑end weapon in the forward line.

But the 2-2 draw with Newcastle at the weekend told a different story about where this squad still feels light.

Dominik Szoboszlai and Ryan Gravenberch were central to the title-winning midfield of 2024/25, a pair who can rip through lines and hurt teams in the final third. They also leave space. Big patches of it. Newcastle happily ran into those gaps, and Liverpool looked open through the middle when the game became stretched.

So the question inside the club is a simple one: can they afford to walk away from this window without adding a more defensively-minded midfielder?

Camara on the list

If Liverpool do decide to move, Camara fits the profile.

The 22-year-old Monaco man has built a reputation in Ligue 1 as a midfielder who relishes the dirty work but doesn’t give the ball away cheaply. His numbers in the 2025/26 campaign underline that balance: strong defensive output, but also comfortable and efficient in possession.

That blend is what makes him intriguing. He isn’t just a destroyer. He can start moves, recycle play, and still shut down counters before they develop. For a side that often commits bodies forward and defends big spaces, that matters.

Liverpool, put bluntly, could do far worse.

The numbers game – and a transfer dilemma

There is a catch. Recent reporting suggests Liverpool only plan to make a maximum of two further signings this summer.

One of those looks set to be Barcola. That leaves just one more slot, and a strategic call: shore up the midfield or hand Iraola the deepest possible pool of forwards?

From a squad-building perspective, leaving the middle of the pitch exposed to squeeze in another attacker would be a bold – some might say reckless – choice. But Iraola’s system leans heavily on aggressive pressing and fluid movement in the final third. A full complement of forwards would give him the rotation and variety he craves.

The tension is obvious. The clock is ticking. And Camara sits right at the heart of that debate.

What would Camara cost?

Monaco are not in the mood to sell cheaply.

The club have already turned down a £35m bid from Crystal Palace, according to the BBC. Other reports put Monaco’s valuation of Camara in the £42.8m–£51.4m range.

That fee would not scare Liverpool off on its own, especially for a 22-year-old with room to grow. The real question is whether they are prepared to commit that chunk of the budget to midfield when the forward line is also being rebuilt.

The recruitment team know the stakes. Miss now, and the cost of finding an elite defensive midfielder in a year or two could be far higher – not just in transfer fees, but in points dropped and trophies missed.

Liverpool can’t sign everyone. But can they really afford not to sign someone like Camara?