Liverpool are now considering a move for Crystal Palace midfielder Cheick Doucoure as a replacement for Fabinho, according to a recent report from The Liverpool Echo.
What's the latest Liverpool transfer news?
The Reds have already let a number of central midfielders leave the club this summer, with Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, James Milner and Naby Keita all exiting, and there could still be a few more departures.
Jordan Henderson has now been linked with a move to Saudi Arabia, with journalist Ben Jacobs recently claiming that a fee still needs to be agreed between Liverpool and Steven Gerrard's new club, saying: "Now it's about Liverpool and Al-Ettifaq agreeing a fee, which is only thought to be somewhere in the region of £10million. I don't think that Liverpool will stand in his way."
Henderson has travelled to Germany for Liverpool's pre-season tour, but Fabrizio Romano has reported the Englishman has accepted the proposal from Al-Ettifaq, with Jurgen Klopp giving the green light for him to leave the club.
It has also been reported that Fabinho is now close to leaving, with the Brazilian on his way to Saudi Arabian side Al-Ittihad for a fee of around £40m, having not travelled to Germany.
The Liverpool Echo have now reported that a list of replacements for Fabinho have now been drawn up, with Southampton's Romeo Lavia considered one of the main targets, while Bayern Munich's Ryan Gravenberch is also an option.
Fulham's Joao Palhinha is also a possibility, with the Reds willing to widen the age profile of their potential signings, however the Portugal international is 28-years-old, and they would ideally prefer a younger player.
As such, 23-year-old Crystal Palace midfielder Doucoure is now among the players being considered, fresh off the back of a solid first season in the Premier League, having been named the Eagles' player of the year.
The former Lens man only arrived at Selhurst Park last summer, in a deal worth £21m, but he could already be on the move to Anfield.
How good is Cheick Doucoure?
There is evidence that the Mali international could be a quality replacement for Fabinho, given his stellar defensive attributes, ranking in the 97th percentile for interceptions per 90 over the past year, when compared to his positional peers.
The £60k-per-week Palace star has also averaged more tackles, blocks and clearances than the Brazilian during that timeframe, however his pass-completion rate is not quite up to par, having only averaged 83.2%.
Lauded as "incredible" by journalist Zach Lowy, the maestro had a fantastic first season in the Premier League, averaging 2.3 tackles per game, the highest amount of any player in the squad.
Fabinho turns 30 in October, and his form dipped considerably last season, with talkSPORT's Scott Minto claiming it was like his "twin brother" was playing, so it is probably a wise decision to let him leave.
Doucoure now has Premier League experience under his belt, having made 34 appearances last season, and at 23-years-old he could start for Liverpool in central midfield for years to come.