Liverpool are plotting an audacious attempt to sign Real Madrid midfielder Eduardo Camavinga, according to reports.

The Reds could enter the transfer market for a midfielder either in January or next summer. They did not sign a replacement for Gini Wijnaldum, who departed Anfield for PSG last summer.

James Milner will turn 36 next month, while Jordan Henderson and Thiago Alcantara are both in their 30s too.

El Nacional reports that Liverpool could make a move for Camavinga, a player that the publication claims Jurgen Klopp has long admired. The France international only joined Real Madrid in August, joining the Spanish giants from Rennes for a fee thought to be in the region of £35m.

The midfielder impressed in his first few performances for Carlo Ancelotti’s side – but he has struggled for game time more recently, and his start against Athletic Bilbao on Wednesday was only his fifth in La Liga this term.

Camavinga has had to make do with a place on the bench for much of the campaign and Liverpool could look to take advantage by offering him an early escape route from the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu.

Yet while the Reds may well rate the 19-year-old, it is hard to see them pulling this deal off.

Camavinga would have known that he would not become an automatic starter straight away. His contract with Madrid runs until 2027 and the Blancos are unlikely to entertain any offers for such a promising young player.

If Liverpool were so keen to sign the midfielder, they surely would have made a bid when Camavinga was still at Rennes. In the end Madrid had a clear run at the teenage starlet, who had just one year left on his deal with Rennes at the time of his departure.

If Liverpool want to bolster their options in the engine room, they will probably need to look elsewhere.