Cheick Doucoure, Sofyan Amrabat and the defensive midfielders Liverpool could sign after missing out on Moises Caicedo and Romeo Lavia

A transfer link that appeared to come out of nowhere at the start of the summer, but one that does make a modicum of sense. Kalvin Phillips only arrived at Manchester City a year ago, and many players need a season to get to grips with Pep Guardiola's complex tactical approach.

However, the mere fact that the treble-winners made a move for Declan Rice underlined that Phillips is considered neither an heir to - or an adequate understudy for - Rodri. So, it's just really difficult to see the England international belatedly breaking into the City side, even if he gets over his injury issues.

A transfer, then, appears inevitable, and it was thought that West Ham might sign Phillips as their Rice replacement. But with the Hammers opting for James Ward-Prowse instead, the Reds could rekindle their apparent interest in the England international.

Liverpool would be understandably reluctant to pay too much money for a 27-year-old with just 49 Premier League games under his belt, though Phillips could agitate for a move after being an unused sub once again in his side's Premier League opener against Burnley.

Steven Gerrard may not have got a lot right at Aston Villa, but there's no denying the genius of snapping up Boubacar Kamara on a free transfer from Marseille, with the midfielder enjoying an excellent first season in England.

Douglas Luiz may have made more headlines for his contribution to Villa's remarkable revival under Unai Emery, but Kamara proved just as integral to the Spaniard's game plan on account of his ability to break up opposition attacks and move the ball on quickly to other, more creative colleagues. More importantly, Kamara would be capable of covering a huge amount of ground in a similarly effective manner to peak Fabinho.

Villa, though, have absolutely no need to sell, as Kamara is under contract until 2027. It would take a massive bid to even get Villa to the negotiating table and even then, Emery would do his utmost to block the sale of a player that is so important to his side.

Enzo Fernandez earned himself a massive move to Chelsea in January thanks to his fine form for Benfica during the first half of last season and, more importantly, the pivotal role he played in Argentina winning the World Cup. However, one of the main reasons why he excelled for the Eagles was his partner in Roger Schmidt's midfield, Florentino Luis, arguably the revelation of the club's campaign.

Indeed, he had spent the previous two seasons out on loan, at Monaco and Getafe, and, truth be told, he didn't play particularly well for either club. There was certainly no indication that he would suddenly explode upon his return to Estadio da Luz - but that's exactly what he did, earning himself a new, improved contract with his fantastic performances in front of the Benfica back-line.

A buy-out clause of €120m (£103m/$131m) was inserted into that deal, and while it won't require quite so much money to persuade the Portuguese club to part company with Florentino, a sizable fee will undoubtedly be required. Benfica, as Liverpool know only too well, drive a very hard bargain...

Florentino certainly ticks a lot of boxes, though. He may not be particularly creative, but he's highly effective when it comes to both winning and distributing the ball. Whether Liverpool are really willing to pay top dollar for a player that has yet to be capped by Portugal remains to be seen, but the 23-year-old's potential is obvious.

Liverpool have a tendency to target younger players in the transfer market, particularly when there's a need to spend big, but an exception could be made for Joao Palhinha. The Portugal international proved one of the signings of last season's Premier League, impressing all and sundry as newly-promoted Fulham finished 10th in the table.

Palhinha popped up with three goals, but what stood out was the way in which he dictated the play and implemented Marco Silva's footballing philosophy. He is, as Jurgen Klopp put it, Fulham's "connector", the man that linked the whole team together.

Liverpool's scouting department, who have followed Palhinha for some time now, firmly believe that he could perform a similar role at Anfield, but he won't come cheap. West Ham reportedly had a £45m ($57m) bid rejected several weeks - would Liverpool really be prepared to go much higher for a 28-year-old?

Considering how much his fellow Premier League defensive midfielders have gone for this transfer window, Fulham are hardly likely to shift in their sky-high valuation either.

It's somewhat surprising that Sofyan Amrabat is still on the market. The Morocco international was one of the undisputed stars of the 2022 World Cup, a key factor in his nation's historic run to the semi-finals, and he was linked with a plethora of clubs during the January transfer window, including Liverpool. Amrabat is still at Fiorentina, though.

But maybe not for much longer. The word in Italy is that Fiorentina are ready to cash in on a player that has entered the final year of his contract and, intriguingly, Manchester United were said to be very much interested in Amrabat - though their pursuit of the Moroccan appears to have cooled, with Juventus now favourite to land him.

Liverpool have perhaps the greatest need for the 26-year-old midfielder who proved in Qatar that he has the quality and composure to excel in the biggest games against the toughest of opposition. Indeed, Amrabat plays with the kind of controlled chaos that Klopp would undoubtedly love and is a more affordable option than some of the other names on this list.

Cheick Doucoure only joined Crystal Palace last summer for £20m ($25.4m) but made a massive impact in his first year at Selhurst Park and was voted Player of the Season by the club's fans. Liverpool's interest in Doucoure, then, is unsurprising.

He may not be the most physically-imposing figure, but he's a fierce tackler - he won nearly 60 percent of his challenges in 2022-23 - and good passer. Doucoure also read the games well and is adept at breaking up play, as underlined by the fact that only Rice made more interceptions last season.

The problem here, though, is Palace's asking price, with the Londoners reportedly looking for £70m (£88.8m) for the 23-year-old Mali international, leaving Liverpool with a serious decision to make regarding a player that has also attracted interest from Paris Saint-Germain.

Way back in June, Liverpool duped their supporters into believing that defensive midfield recruitment was all under control, with Khephren Thuram supposedly being lined up to come in from Nice. Flash-forward to the present and those rumours had gone very cold, though the Reds' interest could be reignited after they missed out on two key targets in the space of a week.

Thuram is a pretty typical Liverpool signing. Not only has he got plenty of scope to improve at 22, he also shouldn't cost the world as he has just two years left on his contract. The chances of him penning a new deal in France are extremely slim and as the pressure ramps up at the end of the window, Nice could be tempted to sell while his value is at its peak.

Liverpool missing out on Jude Bellingham rubbed a lot of Reds fans up up the wrong way. Although they couldn't get the real thing, Klopp may still sign a player who has drawn plenty of comparisons with the Real Madrid star.

Manu Kone has been one of Borussia Monchengladbach's key performers since signing from Toulouse in 2021, impressing with his ball winning and carrying skills from the heart of midfield. Just eight players managed more tackles than him in the Bundesliga last season and he was also in the top five for progressive carry distance.

Liverpool were credited with an interest early in the window, but Gladbach are pretty certain that he's sticking around this summer. "We have decided that Manu Kone will stay with Borussia," the club's managing director Roland Virkus said. "Of course, you can never rule out anything in football. If there would be a crazy offer, we would have to talk again."

Well, that's the end of that then. Or is it? If Liverpool get desperate, that 'crazy offer' Virkus refers to might not seem so outlandish to Klopp and Co after all.