Liverpool set to miss out on ideal swap deal opportunity as star 'not interested'

may have already had their chances of striking a cut-price deal for 's Carlos Baleba scuppered. The Reds have made it no secret that they intend to splash the cash at the end of the season, with reinforcements being targeted in every department.

At least one forward is being eyed to replace , with Trent Alexander-Arnold's departure expected to prompt a defensive signing too and Giorgi Mamardashvili set to join the club as a goalkeeper option.

Reinforcements in midfield are not being ruled out either, with Brighton's Baleba among those linked with a move to Anfield. The 21-year-old has enjoyed a stellar season with the Seagulls and is widely regarded as the club's next big-money sale.

As such, if Liverpool opted to pursue the Cameroon international, the opportunity to bring down his price tag with a player swap deal would be music to the ears of those on Merseyside. Brighton have been cited as one of several clubs interested in signing this summer, but the playmaker appears to have ruled himself out of being a makeweight already.

According to , the 22-year-old is 'not interested' in joining Brighton this summer. Elliott is said to be at the end of the season and, at this stage, is favouring remaining with the club and attempting to prove himself to manager Arne Slot in preseason.

The Reds are willing to retain the services of the versatile midfielder, but they will not stand in his way if he indicates that he would like to head elsewhere.

But a move to Brighton seems already off the cards as Elliott feels they are a 'step down' from the level that he wants to play at - which could be encouragement for his German suitors, such as Borussia Dortmund and Bayer Leverkusen.

As a result, Liverpool may be forced into coughing up a significant fee to sign Baleba unless they can persuade Elliott to continue his development at the Amex Stadium. The Reds could be splashing plenty of their transfer war chest on the south coast this summer, having been linked with Baleba's teammate Joao Pedro and Bournemouth duo Antoine Semenyo and Milos Kerkez.