"He does the lot..." - Liverpool told to sign 'towering' midfield star as ideal Caicedo alternative

European football pundit and former Liverpool striker Don Hutchison has told the Reds who they should be signing this summer as an alternative to Brighton star Moises Caicedo.

Caicedo was the subject of bids from Arsenal and Chelsea during the January transfer window, but Brighton were steadfast in their refusal to sell the 21-year-old.

The Athletic's Andy Naylor has reported that the Gunners were told by Brighton to move on from Caicedo on Saturday, and the.club were given the same message the following day, before the Seagulls shut off communication with all interested clubs.

Liverpool are not believed to have been one of those interested clubs, with the Reds deciding not to bring in a midfielder during January.

But they have been strongly linked in the past, and Liverpool's recent stance of being patient when it comes to landing top targets could mean they launch a move for Caicedo in the summer.

However, Hutchison, who played for the Reds between 1990 and 1994, believes they should look elsewhere.

Hutchison tells Liverpool which midfielder to sign

Taking to Twitter, the ITV, ESPN and talkSPORT pundit explained that the Reds should attempt to sign AC Milan midfielder Sandro Tonali instead of Caicedo.

He tweeted: "The spending money from some Premier League clubs is crazy. Caicedo is decent, but there are twenty more like him out there. £80 million Antony, Sancho £90 million, when Amad (Man U player) tore Kurzawa ex-PSG to shreds on Sat [whilst playing on loan for Sunderland]."

Hutchison added, in a separate tweet: "Caicedo at £80 million!! Good player but there are 20 similar players out there like him. This [Tonali] is the player Liverpool should buy for a fraction of the price. He does the lot!"

Caicedo at 80million!! Good player but there are 20 similar players out there like him. This is the player Liverpool should buy for a fraction of the price. He does the lot! 👌🏽 https://t.co/aQmL4kHZJy pic.twitter.com/eVQ91VQ7EO

— Don Hutchison (@donhutch4) January 29, 2023

The former Scotland striker then reeled off a list of other midfielders Liverpool could sign, including RB Leipzig's Amadou Haidara, Sheffield United's Sander Berge, Fiorentina's Sofyan Amrabat and Wolves' Matheus Nunes.

Tonali, described as 'towering' by ACMilanInfo after a player of the match performance against Lazio in 2021, signed for Milan on loan in 2020 from fellow Italian side Brescia. He joined permanently a year later.

Primarily a defensive midfielder, the 24-year-old has superb passing range, is excellent in the tackle and is physically powerful in making runs forward. He has five goals and two assists to his name in 19 Serie A appearances this term, and has earned comparisons to Milan legend Andrea Pirlo.