"Doesn't cost you £100M" - Former Liverpool star urges club to sign Tottenham flop as Moises Caicedo makes transfer decision

Former Liverpool attack Ryan Babel has advised the Reds to sign Besiktas midfielder Gedson Fernandes. This comes after reports claiming that the Reds' primary target Moises Caicedo is determined to join Chelsea rather than move to Merseyside.

Liverpool are currently in need of new midfielders after Fabinho and Jordan Henderson's departures to Saudi Arabia earlier in the window. Jurgen Klopp's side made a British record £111 million bid for Brighton & Hove Albion midfielder Moises Caicedo (via David Ornstein).

Despite Brighton accepting the bid and the Reds booking a medical, Caicedo still prefers a move to Stamford Bridge (via Fabrizio Romano).

In this transfer kerfuffle, Ryan Babel has advised his former club to sign former Tottenham Hotspur loanee Gedson Fernandes. The Dutchman claims that the Besiktas star will not cost as much as Caicedo would.

Ryan Babel commented the following on an Instagram post:

"Liverpool should get Gedson Fernandes from Besiktas… doesn’t cost you £100M."

It is worth mentioning that Ryan Babel and Gedson Fernandes were former teammates whilst the duo represented Turkish giants Galatasaray back in 2021. Fernandes was on loan from Benfica during that time.

Babel and Fernandes have shared the pitch on just 12 occasions together. The pair have two joint goal participations together with Fernandes assisting the Dutch international on both of those occasions.

Gedson Fernandes had a great 2022-23 season with Besiktas last time around. He contributed three goals and seven assists from 36 matches across all competitions. The Portugal midfielder has played three UEFA Europa Conference League qualifiers this season where he has assisted once.

According to Transfermarkt, Gedson Fernandes is currently valued at just €12 million (£10.3 million). The midfielder is substantially cheaper than the Reds' summer targets Moises Caicedo and Romeo Lavia.

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Liverpool and Chelsea still in a tug-of-war for Moises Caicedo

The transfer saga between Liverpool and Chelsea involving Moises Caicedo still rages on with Premier League kickstarting today (August 11).

According to journalist DaveOCKOP, Caicedo is still open to a move to Anfield if Chelsea fail to match or outbid the Reds in the coming hours. If Chelsea do outbid the Merseyside outfit, he will move to the Blues as he has already reached an agreement with them.

In all this transfer mess, it is worth remembering that both Liverpool and Chelsea face each other in their opening Premier League game on Sunday (August 13). The two sides will want to make a positive start to their league campaigns following disappointing seasons last time around.