- Liverpool target Thomas Lemar reportedly wants to join Barcelona
- Reds, Arsenal, Atletico Madrid and Real Madrid all paired with interest
- Frenchman set to leave Ligue 1 outfit at the end of the season
- READ MORE: Real Madrid star has personal favourite to replace Zidane, bad news for Liverpool
It’s not good news for Liverpool as reports claim that Monaco ace Thomas Lemar will turn down a move to England as he wants to play for Barcelona.
Up to this point, it has arguably been a decent window for the Reds. Having addressed a crucial area of the squad with the signing of Virgil van Dijk, they collected £142m from the sale of Philippe Coutinho, as per BBC Sport.
Naturally, losing one of their best players isn’t much of a positive, but it finally drew a line under the transfer saga that had rumbled on since last summer and now Jurgen Klopp can focus on strengthening his squad and extend their impressive recent form.
That run has seen them go unbeaten in their last 18 games in all competitions, with the win over the previously undefeated Man City in the league last weekend highlighting just how good Liverpool look currently.
However, as per The Daily Star, they may have to scrap hopes of signing Lemar this summer, as it’s claimed that the French international will reject a move to England as he hopes to sign for Barcelona.
Failing that, Atletico Madrid and Real Madrid are also keen, and based on this report, it’s more likely that the 22-year-old, who is rated at £92m as per the Daily Star, will opt for a new challenge in Spain rather than join either Liverpool or Arsenal.
It is a setback for the Merseyside giants as Lemar could have been seen as a replacement for Coutinho, but they’ll have to switch their focus elsewhere now it seems unless they can convince him out of waiting for Barca.
The French international has also struggled to replicate his form from last season, scoring just three goals and providing four assists in 22 appearances this year, compared to 14 and 17 in 55 outings last year as he helped Monaco win the Ligue 1 title and reach the last four in the Champions League.
In turn, a possible £92m transfer fee is a lot of money for a player with one season at the top to prove his quality, but that’s seemingly more than enough given the level of interest noted above.