Liverpool's Midfield Transformation: The Pursuit of Eduardo Camavinga
Liverpool’s summer has been framed in simple, unforgiving terms: get back to winning the Premier League, or accept that something fundamental has gone wrong at Anfield.
The title defence that many assumed would be straightforward never materialised. Arne Slot’s sweeping tactical overhaul knocked Liverpool out of their rhythm, and two of the club’s biggest attacking weapons, Mohamed Salah and Cody Gakpo, never looked comfortable. Their strengths were blunted, their numbers dipped, and both endured one of their least effective campaigns in a red shirt.
Salah has now gone. Slot has followed him out of the picture, with Andoni Iraola stepping into the technical area. A new era is no longer a slogan; it is a necessity. A club of Liverpool’s stature is built to compete for trophies every single season. If they are not in that conversation, alarm bells ring.
Which is why the transfer window cannot become an exercise in hesitation. Liverpool still need work. They need help. And, intriguingly, they might need a helping hand from the one club that has defined their modern rivalry: Manchester City.
A title charge built in midfield
If Liverpool are serious about reclaiming the league, their midfield cannot remain as it is.
On paper, a trio of Dominik Szoboszlai, Alexis Mac Allister and Ryan Gravenberch looks more than respectable. On grass, across the 2025–26 season, only Szoboszlai truly delivered what was expected. Mac Allister flickered rather than burned. Gravenberch, despite his reputation, did not consistently impose himself in the way a title-chasing side demands.
No surprise, then, that almost every credible link around Liverpool points towards midfield reinforcements. Names have come and gone in the rumour mill over recent months, but one has refused to disappear: Eduardo Camavinga.
At Real Madrid, Camavinga has become the quintessential modern squad player – invaluable, flexible, and yet somehow not fully central. With Aurelien Tchouameni and Federico Valverde forming a formidable core, the Frenchman has often been the one shuffled around, his minutes and role fluctuating more than his talent merits.
That imbalance has sparked speculation. And now, a complex chain of events is being floated, one that would require Manchester City to do Liverpool an enormous favour.
The Rodri domino
According to a fresh report from Ekrem Konur, the key to Camavinga’s future may lie in Manchester.
Konur reports that Chelsea have made approaches for Camavinga, but the midfielder has rejected them and does not want to leave Real Madrid. The door, though, is not completely closed. The scenario being considered in Madrid is stark: if Real sign Rodri from Manchester City this summer, a Camavinga exit could move from unlikely to possible.
As Konur outlines it, Madrid are weighing up situations in which Camavinga would be among the players they are prepared to sell. The logic is brutal but familiar at the Bernabeu: a major midfield arrival could force a sacrifice elsewhere.
For Liverpool, that makes Rodri the unlikely hinge on which a dream signing might turn. If City were to sanction the sale of arguably the best holding midfielder in world football to Real Madrid, the Spanish club could then open the door for Camavinga to leave. Liverpool would be waiting.
It is a scenario loaded with “ifs”, but the chain is clear: City sell Rodri, Madrid move for him, Camavinga becomes available, and Liverpool pounce.
Why Camavinga fits the new Liverpool
From Liverpool’s perspective, the attraction is obvious.
Gravenberch may have grown into one of the Premier League’s standout defensive midfielders in the 2024–25 campaign, but that evolution came after a season in which he fell well short of expectations. His inconsistency, coupled with the decision to let Tyler Morton leave – a move that baffled many supporters once the young Scouser quickly became a key figure at Lyon – has left questions over Liverpool’s depth and planning in the middle of the park.
Stefan Bajcetic and James McConnell offer internal options, and both have admirers. Yet a squad with ambitions of winning the Premier League and competing deep into other competitions cannot rely on promise alone. Top sides are built on at least two high-level options in every position, so injuries or loss of form do not derail an entire campaign.
Across recent windows, a long list of defensive midfielders has been linked with Anfield. Among that crowd, Camavinga stands out.
He is 23, already battle-tested at the highest level, and crucially, he is not confined to a single role. Throughout his career, Camavinga has operated as a defensive midfielder, a central midfielder, and has even filled in across other areas of the pitch when required. That blend of tactical intelligence, athleticism and versatility is exactly what a modern, aggressive, front-foot Liverpool side needs at the base and heart of its midfield.
He offers control and bite, but also the ability to shift roles as Iraola tweaks systems and personnel. In a squad undergoing transition after the Salah era, that kind of adaptability is gold.
For Liverpool, Eduardo Camavinga feels less like a luxury and more like a cornerstone. The question is whether the dominoes fall their way – and whether Manchester City are really prepared to set them in motion.
