Liverpool's tumultuous transfer window has left the Merseyside club scrambling to secure a defensive midfielder, but a shrewd option might have been identified.
Who will Liverpool sign instead of Caicedo?
According to ESPN, PSV ace Ibrahim Sangare is attracting the attention of Liverpool, Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain.
The Premier League side sold Fabinho to Al-Ittihad for £40m and are yet to sign a replacement, missing out on Moises Caicedo to Chelsea, who are also hoping to swipe Southampton's Romeo Lavia from under Jurgen Klopp's nose.
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Sangare has a release clause of £32m and could prove to be a worthy alternative for the Anfield side, bringing tenacity and a tough-tackling approach to fortify the ranks.
How good is Ibrahim Sangare?
Liverpool technical director Jorg Schamdtke is approaching desperation mode and will need to act swiftly to provide the club with the best chance of succeeding this season.
Liverpool drew 1-1 against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge last weekend in the Premier League opener, and while there were positives to take from the affair the absence of a sturdy No. 6 was clear, with The Athletic's James Pearce saying, "the lack of both control and protection in front of the back line was glaring."
Whether the Reds succeed in their bid to sign Lavia remains to be seen, but Sangare could prove to be a first-rate alternative, having impressed in the Netherlands over the past several seasons, chalking up 136 appearances, scoring 14 goals and supplying ten assists.
Described as a "dangerous" player in the centre by analyst Aad de Mos, Sangare could quickly allow the Merseyside club to forget about Caicedo, who has been heralded as a "physical monster" by Dr. Rajpal Brar and admittedly looks to be a superlative machine in the middle, ranking among the top 5% of midfielders across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for pass completion and the top 14% for tackles and interceptions per 90, as per FBref.
Comparatively, the 31-cap Ivory Coast international ranks among the top 8% of midfielders across the eight leagues most comparable to the Eredivisie for goals, the top 18% for passes attempted, the top 9% for progressive passes, the top 13% for successful take-ons, the top 19% for clearances and the top 12% for clearances per 90.
While it's important to remember that Sangare plies his trade outside the top five European leagues and this, therefore, is reflected through his metrics, he clearly boasts an all-encompassing midfield skill set and has the passing ability and defensive work rate to provide Klopp's team with the component it has been missing. With such traits and attributes in mind, you could say he is Caicedo 2.0.
Pivotally, he would also be available for a portion of the price of Caicedo, who is expected to cost Chelsea £115m. In turn, this would allow Liverpool to focus on further targets and perhaps create a winning squad, spreading the need for reinforcements across several players.
Jacek Kulig hailed the 25-year-old as "one of Ligue 1's best midfielders" before he made the move to PSV, and while Sangare is not the highlight name of the Brighton ace, he could prove to be a most shrewd acquisition and bolster Liverpool's midfield with the toughness and tenacity to set them on their way this season.