Liverpool are working on a deal to sign Thomas Lemar as Philippe Coutinho’s replacement, reports say.
The Reds look set to lose Coutinho to Barcelona in the coming weeks and want the matter resolved by mid-January.
Liverpool had a bid rejected for Lemar in the summer, but Yahoo Sports claim Jurgen Klopp is continuing to work on a deal to bring the Monaco star to Anfield this month.
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Arsenal out-bid Liverpool for Lemar, but the France international turned down the chance to move to London as he did not think the Gunners were a good fit.
Lemar has kept in contact with Liverpool and is ready to join the Reds in January should Monaco agree to sell him.
The goalscoring attacker would be a fine replacement for Coutinho and would certainly ease tension on Merseyside.
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Liverpool supporters are bracing themselves for the heartbreak of Coutinho’s departure, but Lemar’s arrival would add fresh hope at the club.
The £75million signing of Virgil van Dijk at the opening of the transfer window has proved Liverpool will do what it take to sign their top targets.
And it is expected that push for priority targets will continue with Lemar once Coutinho’s exit is confirmed.
Liverpool 2017/18 Fixtures
Everton (H) – Fri Jan 5 (FA Cup)
Man City – Sun Jan 14
Swansea (A) – Mon Jan 22
Huddersfield (A) – Tues Jan 30
Tottenham (H) – Sun Feb 4
Southampton (A) – Sun Feb 11
Porto (A) – Wed Feb 14 (Champions League)
West Ham (H) – Sat Feb 24
Coutinho is not available for selection at the moment, with the Brazilian citing a thigh issue.
The 25-year-old will sit out the Merseyside derby on Friday and is convinced he has played his last game for Liverpool.
Liverpool will hold talks with Barcelona on Wednesday with the Reds expected to demand a fee of £130m for Coutinho’s services.
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