Liverpool could seek to repeat Mac Allister coup with £23m tank backed to become ‘one of the best’

Nearly 18 months on from signing Alexis Mac Allister from Brighton, Liverpool could have their sights set on a similar coup from the Amex Stadium.

The two teams will do battle on the pitch twice in the next four days, clashing in the Carabao Cup tonight before renewing hostilities at Anfield on Saturday, a fixture quirk which’ll provide Richard Hughes with the perfect opportunity to assess one player in particular from Fabian Hurzeler’s side.

Liverpool maintaining interest in Baleba

According to Alex Crook for talkSPORT, Carlos Baleba remains a ‘long-standing target’ for Liverpool and Arsenal, with Tottenham manager Ange Postecoglou also understood to be a ‘big admirer’ of the midfielder.

The Cameroon international – who joined Brighton from Lille in a £23m move last year – is noted as ‘the latest Seagulls star who could turn owner Tony Bloom a huge profit’, with the south coast club making a habit of snapping up hidden gems for a bargain and later cashing in on them for vast fees.

Mac Allister is one such example, having come to the Amex Stadium from Argentinos Juniors for a paltry £6.6m (Transfermarkt) before joining the Reds for £35m in June 2023 (BBC Sport).

Baleba has been thriving at Brighton

Earlier this year, then-Brighton manager Roberto De Zerbi said that Baleba has the potential to ‘become one of the best midfielders in the Premier League in the future’ (The Argus), and the 20-year-old is showing signs of fulfilling that promise this season.

Despite playing chiefly as a defensive midfielder, he’s already chipped in with a couple of goals for the Seagulls, scoring one and setting up another when they faced Chelsea last month (Transfermarkt).

The youngster excels with his work out of possession, ranking among the top 3% of positional peers in Europe’s five main leagues over the past year for blocks per game (1.98) and the top 15% and 16% respectively for aerial duel success and interceptions per 90 minutes (FBref).

Baleba would face stern competition for a place in Liverpool’s starting XI, where Ryan Gravenberch has been formidable of late in teaming up commendably with Mac Allister. However, the Brighton gem could be seen as a long-term solution at Anfield, particular with Wataru Endo turning 32 in February.

It seems inevitable that the Seagulls will demand a lot more than the £23m that they paid for him last year, but if Hughes is convinced that the Cameroonian is the right man to enhance the Reds’ squad, perhaps he might be prepared to part with a substantial outlay for him in 2025.

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