Liverpool handed blow as Brighton close in on signing midfield target – Reports

Liverpool have reportedly been handed a transfer blow as Brighton & Hove Albion inch closer to signing Lille star Carlos Baleba this summer.

The Reds are currently in pursuit of a holding midfielder after Fabinho and Jordan Henderson's high-profile departures earlier past month. They have signed Wataru Endo as a squad option for £16 million from Stuttgart after missing out on Moises Caicedo and Romeo Lavia.

Earlier this month, TEAMtalk reported that Jurgen Klopp's outfit are willing to sign Baleba, beating Brighton in the process. They are also set to face competition from the likes of Newcastle United, Aston Villa, Nottingham Forest and Brentford this summer.

However, according to Foot Mercato, Brighton are set to edge Liverpool in the race to snap up the Cameroonian in the final days of the ongoing transfer window. They have reached an agreement with Lille over a potential £26 million move for the 19-year-old left-footed star.

Brighton, who have spent over £60 million on five new players so far this summer, have allegedly scheduled a medical for Baleba later this week. They are expected to announce the Lille academy product soon.

Earlier this summer, Lille manager Paulo Fonseca heaped praise on the Liverpool-linked midfielder. He told in a presser (h/t Football365):

"Carlos is a young player with great talent. He arrived last season, but he has already improved a lot. I have no doubt, I think he will become a great player."

Should Baleba snub the Reds to join Roberto De Zerbi's side, he would emerge as a solid rotational option at the Amex Stadium. He would provide competition to the likes of summer arrival Mahmoud Dahoud, Pascal Gross, Billy Gilmour and James Milner in a 4-2-3-1 setup.

So far, Baleba has made 23 appearances for Lille, racking up 680 minutes of first-team minutes. He has provided two assists in the process.

Who are Liverpool's other midfield targets?

Liverpool, who have lost five of their first-team midfielders this summer, are still on the hunt for a first-choice holding midfielder. They failed to rope in Moises Caicedo and Romeo Lavia as Chelsea finalised a double swoop worth up to £173 million on the promising midfield duo.

Now, Jurgen Klopp's team have shifted their sights to other top targets. They have been heavily linked with Crystal Palace's Cheick Doucoure, Bayern Munich's Ryan Gravenberch, Manchester City's Kalvin Phillips and Fiorentina's Sofyan Amrabat and Fulham's Joao Palhinha.

Liverpool currently have seven first-team midfield options. They have Wataru Endo and Stefan Bajcetic as number six choices. The Reds also have Thiago Alcantara, Alexis Mac Allister, Dominik Szoboszlai, Curtis Jones and Harvey Elliott as number eight options right now.