Liverpool could seek Caicedo and Lavia revenge as they enter race for highly-rated Chelsea target

Liverpool join Chelsea for the signing of Joao Neves

Liverpool have joined Chelsea in the race for Benfica midfielder Joao Neves. The midfielder gained popularity with his performance this season and is going to be in high demand for the upcoming transfer window.

Benfica have cultivated a number of talented players from within their ranks, and Neves is another gem whose departure will provide the Portuguese team enormous profits after they valued him at around £103 million but are now considering increasing it to £129 million.

And as per O Jogo, (h/t Sun), the Reds are seen as favourites to bring the Portuguese midfielder into the summer window and triumph over the Blues for his acquisition. Chelsea dethroned Liverpool for the signing of Caicedo and Lavia in the previous transfer window, and now the Reds are hoping to take revenge on them by beating them for the signing of Neves.

The Jurgen Klopp side went through a midfield revamp and brought in the likes of Dominik Szoboszlai, Alexis Mac Allister, Wataru Endo, and Ryan Gravenberch, which saw them get back into the title race this season.

Meanwhile, the Blues are languishing in 12th with slow progress in the development of the young squad mixed with inconsistent results and discontent of the fans with the board and the manager.

However, bringing in Neves, who has excelled for Benfica, looks like a doubtful decision because right now another defensive young midfielder won’t make a meaningful impact when Moises Caicedo hasn’t been able to put in his utmost performance despite playing in the Premier League for a year. It then becomes uncertain if Neves will have an instant impact.

Moreover, we have enough defensive midfielders who operate in his position. It doesn’t make sense to sign more young players in the same position. Furthermore, Bruno Guimaraes, who has been linked to a move to the Blues, has an abundance of experience and will play beside other young midfielders to accelerate their development.

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Meanwhile, Liverpool will undergo a managerial change, and many veteran players could leave the club, so if Neves leans towards joining them, then he will join an entirely new project. However, with new management and young players, our project is now underway, so he will need to make a significant choice for his next club.