- Liverpool may reportedly have to pay £100million for Thomas Lemar
- Monaco are tough negotiators and have turned down big money before
- Liverpool have some backup plans in mind but Lemar is their top target
- READ MORE: Dream on! Liverpool tipped to make SHOCK Man Utd raid in desperate bid to replace Coutinho
Liverpool may face having to pay as much as £100million to seal the transfer of Monaco star Thomas Lemar as they prepare for Philippe Coutinho’s departure to Barcelona.
This is according to the Independent, who suggest Monaco will be tough negotiators having previously turned down as much as £75m for Lemar from the Reds during the summer.
Lemar is one of the top attacking midfield players in Europe at the moment and could make an ideal addition to Jurgen Klopp’s side, as he seems like he’d slot in perfectly alongside the likes of Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino.
The Independent claim Leicester City winger Riyad Mahrez is being looked at as a backup option by Liverpool, but that Lemar is their first choice.
MORE: Liverpool transfer news
The France international played a key role in Monaco’s title success last season, but ended up being one of the few stars of that side not to leave the club the following summer.
Kylian Mbappe, Tiemoue Bakayoko, Benjamin Mendy and Bernardo Silva were all poached by bigger names, but Monaco managed to hold firm with Lemar despite plenty of interest.
Still, Liverpool’s need is arguably even greater now as they seemingly fight a losing battle in a bid to keep hold of Coutinho.