Liverpool have identified AS Monaco’s Thomas Lemar as the man to replace Philippe Coutinho and are set to clash with Arsenal in his chase
Liverpool are preparing an offer for AS Monaco winger Thomas Lemar, as they look to fill the huge void left by the departure of star man Philippe Coutinho, according to reports from the Mirror.
The Brazilian left Liverpool to join Barcelona in a staggering £142 million deal – a Premier League record, and the Reds’ boss Jurgen Klopp has identified Lemar as the man to fill in the vacancy.
Lemar, a France international, was one of Monaco’s best players alongside the likes of Kylian Mbappe and Bernardo Silva last season, when they managed to win the Ligue 1 title. However, the 22-year old has struggled to reproduce that form once again this term. So far in the 2017/18 campaign, Lemar has scored just 2 goals and has registered 4 assists in 18 appearances across all competitions.
Lemar was a target for Liverpool back in the summer transfer window as well. The Reds reportedly made a late surge to sign the attacker with a £75 million offer, but could not get the deal done, partly thanks to fellow Premier League side Arsenal.
Monaco's Thomas Lemar is Liverpool’s main target, although the Ligue 1 club are reluctant to sell in this window, while there is no desire to sign Leicester's Riyad Mahrez at this stage, say the @LivEchoLFC pic.twitter.com/bBEwvjHo6n
— Anfield HQ (@AnfieldHQ) January 6, 2018
The Gunners were also keen on signing Lemar in the summer and made a whopping £92 million bid on the transfer deadline day, which was accepted by Monaco. However, the move failed to materialize and Lemar ended up staying put at the principality-based outfit.
Arsenal, though, are set to rekindle their interest in Lemar and are poised to make another offer for the winger in January, with Alexis Sanchez’s exit from the Emirates Stadium looming large. The Chilean is in the final six months of his contract with the North London outfit and is almost certain to leave Arsenal in the winter window.
Interestingly, both Liverpool and Arsenal have also been linked with a move for Leicester City wide man Riyad Mahrez as well. However, the Merseyside outfit have reportedly pulled out of the race and have informed the Foxes that they are not pursuing the Algerian international.
Lemar, despite enduring a slow start to the ongoing campaign, could prove to be a very good piece of business for both Arsenal and Liverpool. While Monaco have maintained a strong stance that they will not sell the Frenchman halfway through the season, a big money offer could sway their decision. It will be interesting to watch how this one folds out over the coming month.
