Liverpool have made an inquiry to sign Monaco’s Thomas Lemar for a club record fee of up to €60million (£55million), according to sources in France.

Lemar has long been wanted by Arsenal, also, and has recently been linked to Manchester United and it is understood that Liverpool’s inquiry was made earlier this summer and remains active.

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger said last week that a move for Lemar was “dead” for his club although that may be brinksmanship to try and see if Monaco will negotiate.

However it is believed that Monaco are not willing to sell the 21-year-old French international during this window having already seen Tiemoue Bakayoko, Benjamin Mendy and Bernardo Silva depart and fighting to keep Kylian Mbappe who was on the bench for them, again, on Sunday night for the league match against Marseille with a growing expectation that a deal is  close to let him go to Paris Saint-Germain.

With Lemar, who was in the team who faced Marseille, Monaco believe they can command an even greater fee than has been offered for him so far next  summer as they regard him as a rising star of French football.

Lemar is a versatile player who can play anywhere across the frontline although usually on the left. But Lemar also, potentially, can play as a wing-back which is where another Premier League club, Chelsea, considered using him had they made a bid this summer.

Tottenham Hotspur have also discussed Lemar who only signed for Monaco in 2015 for just £3.5million  from Caen where he started his career.

Monaco told bidders earlier in this window that they will only allow one of  Bakayoko or Lemar, to leave now – and will try and resist selling Lemar, who finished last season with 12 goals and 14 assists for Monaco as they won the French league and reached the semi-finals of the Champions League.

Source: Telegraph

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