Fabrizio Romano insists Liverpool have major plans to address their midfield in 2027 and sign new players for Andoni Iraola’s engine room after confirming Lamine Camara has been identified as a primary target – and the transfer could potentially go through as soon as the January window.

The Reds lavished vast sums over the summer to upgrade their attack with Bradley Barcola and Victor Munoz arriving to cover a side who were waving farewell to club legend, Mohamed Salah.

And while Ronald Araujo was also added to their defence, and the Reds also shelled out an opportunistic £30m (€35m) to sign goalkeeper prospect Lucca Brughmans from KRC Genk, there were no funds left to address another need for new boss Iraola: his midfield.

However, they do have plans to make their engine room an urgent priority next year and, having seen Chelsea miss out on Monaco’s Camara on deadline day, we revealed last week that the Reds are compiling a detailed dossier on the Senegalese star ahead of the upcoming transfer windows.

Now, in a new update on his YouTube channel, Romano has admitted the Reds are firmly locking on to the 22-year-old’s signing next year.

“Many of you have been asking me about Lamine Camara. Guys, he was this close to joining Chelsea. It was a ‘Here We Go’ on Deadline Day, but then the deal collapsed because of the domino effect involving Monaco,” Romano confirmed.

“Chelsea were furious. The situation became very tense. Since that moment, Chelsea have disappeared from the Lamine Camara story. Chelsea were no longer in talks over Lamine Camara because they believed Monaco’s behaviour was completely inappropriate.

“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.

“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 backup players. They want players who can be starters or future starters at Liverpool.”

Liverpool chances of signing Lamine Camara in January assessed

As revealed earlier this month, any deal for Camara is now likely to cost Liverpool more than the £47m fee Chelsea had agreed on. And with Monaco wising up on some of the lavish fees being bandied around the Premier League for top midfielders, a deal nearer the £59m (€70m, $79m) mark now looks far more likely.

Assessing Liverpool’s midfield needs and revealing whether the Reds could look to strike a deal with Monaco in the January window, Romano is ruling nothing out.

“Midfield is an area Liverpool have started considering, not just because of the calls regarding Alex Scott, with Chelsea also interested, and not just because of their appreciation of Lamine Camara. It is also a general consideration,” he explained.

Even in the conversations they are having with the coach, Andoni Iraola, midfield is an area Liverpool want to address in 2027.

“Then, it is a question of whether that happens in January or in the summer. It depends on the opportunity. We know Liverpool’s style. Even now, with the new directors, it is not about going out and buying players simply for the sake of buying them or filling a position. Liverpool like to enter the market only when the right opportunity is there, and that will remain the main strategy at Liverpool.

“So, if the right opportunity arises in January, Liverpool will be ready to try. Otherwise, it will be in the summer, but midfield will 100% be an area of focus for Liverpool in 2027.”

Camara, meanwhile, has broken his silence on his failure to join Chelsea on deadline day and revealed where his mind is at with regard to a future move to the Premier League.

And while conspiracy theories that Liverpool were to blame for that Chelsea collapse have been played down, Camara himself is now said to favour a move to Anfield.