Thomas Lemar was one of the players heavily linked with a move away from Monaco in the summer and it seemed he was destined to play in England as both Liverpool and Arsenal chased him until the last day of the transfer window.

The 21-year-old was been one of the best players for Monaco last season and his exploits in the midfield helped the side pick up the Ligue 1 title. It has also made him a regular for the French national side.

Arsenal were the club closest to signing Lemar with a bid of around £90m but that was rejected by the player with many reports suggesting that the French star wanted to play for Liverpool.

We were not willing to battle Arsenal regarding the price but the Mirror claims that the two Premier League giants will be looking to sign Lemar in the next summer window.

The report also suggests that Barcelona would be interested in the player and the big obstacle would be his wages, where the 21-year-old is looking for a pay package of around £250,000 a week.

That would possibly even put the Frenchman ahead of Philippe Coutinho, who earns close to £150,000-a-week at Anfield.

Lemar has been one of the best players in the French league but commanding such a salary can only be done if he is one of the best in the world. We would have to blow our transfer record to sign the Monaco star who has a goal and three assists in the league this seaosn. We would also have to smash our wage barrier to ensure we get the player we want.

Coutinho out, Lemar in?

The best possibility would be a swap where Coutinho heads off to Paris Saint-Germain or Barcelona (as he has been linked with a move to both clubs), and Lemar comes in. The Frenchman could do the job that Coutinho does and even though we would have to pay over the odds, the Monaco man is a star for now and for the future.

It will always be tough to fight Barcelona or any other big club when it comes to signing world class players but our life can be made much more easier if we finish this season well and make it to the Champions League once again.

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