Liverpool will go in for Monaco’s star Thomas Lemar in January, as they attempt to bolster their chances of securing a top-four spot and advancing further in Europe. The Frenchman has been heavily linked with a move to the Premier League in recent months.
Lemar, 22, snubbed a move to Arsenal and Liverpool in the summer in favour of staying in Ligue 1. But Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has a longstanding interest in the 22-year-old midfielder and there is a belief Lemar’s preference is to join the Reds, and not Arsenal, according to The Independent.
Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger was looking to sign an attacker as a potential replacement for Alexis Sanchez, who was expected to leave for Manchester City in the summer. However, Sanchez has since stayed with the Gunners and Lemar’s deal collapsed, partly due to Frenchman’s desire to play Champions League football.
It’s understood the Gunners are ready to make another offer for Lemar in January but Arsene Wenger will come up against stiff competition from both Liverpool and Chelsea.
However, it’s now thought Lemar is back on Liverpool’s radar and Klopp is ready to up his interest in the midfielder next month and make a bid for the £90m-rated star. The German has turned to signing Lemar in January and this shows he is broadly anticipating Barcelona to come back for star playmaker Philippe Coutinho.
With Coutinho still linked with a winter move to Barcelona, reports suggest Klopp sees the young Frenchman as the acquisition needed to fill the hole. Barcelona made three bids for the playmaker in the summer but the Reds stood firm and kept hold of their talisman.
However, the Independent says Coutinho is keen to head to the Nou Camp and he’s desperate to get his dream move to Spain.
Klopp wants to avoid a situation where any sale of a player leaves his team short of options and therefore, has set his sights on the Monaco ace to give him more attacking verve and create what may well be one of the most breathtaking and dynamic attacking line-ups in entire Europe.
Bernardo Silva, Benjamin Mendy and Tiemoue Bakayoko all completed high-profile moves to England in the summer and it appears Lemar is destined to join them in the Premier League in January.
