Liverpool will not give up on their pursuit of Thomas Lemar from Monaco. The 21-year-old French midfielder has become a target for us after we completed the signing of Naby Keita from RB Leipzig.
While Keita would be joining us next season, Lemar is an actual target for us, with the Liverpool Echo suggesting that we will now offer £75million for the youngster.
This would be our third bid for the highly rated attacker after our initial bid of £55.5million and then a second bid of £64.8million were both rejected.
The report claims that the fee structure would be broken into an initial amount of £47million, which would be paid this summer before we settle the rest of the amount by next year.
There is also the aspect of sending a player out on loan with Divock Origi being the chosen one. The Belgian has fallen down the pecking order after the signing of Dominic Solanke and also a returning and a fit Daniel Sturridge. Roberto Firmino has been doing a fine job at the tip of the attack and if Origi wants to play more football, he has to move.
We could be sending the Belgian youngster on loan to Monaco and it is reported that the former Lille man is open to the move, as long as he gets first-team football.
Things are more complicated for Origi as another 10 clubs want to sign him. But returning to Ligue1 could be the ticker to ensure that he goes for the World Cup with his national side.
Lemar had been a target for Arsenal at the start of the transfer window but that seems to have changed, with Liverpool now leading the race for the Frenchman.
Things will be tough as Monaco have already lost a number of players this season. The last few days of the transfer window will be nail-biting to say the least, and this time we will be the ones pushing for deals rather than hoping to keep hold of most of our players.
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