Wolves 'remove clause' in Matheus Nunes' contract to prevent Liverpool move this summer

Liverpool’s plan to raid their Premier League rival has fallen through, according to a fresh report.

After the Reds were defeated 4-1 by Manchester City Klopp reportedly held “crisis talks” with his Liverpool players.

According to the Daily Mail, the squad got together to discuss their current woes, knowing that a defeat to managerless Chelsea on Tuesday night would likely end their hopes of a Champions League spot.

Liverpool, who this time last year were on course to claim an unprecedented quadruple, are currently eighth in the Premier League, some eight points adrift of the top four.

In turn, the Reds have been widely tipped to undergo a massive squad overhaul in the summer, with the midfield in particular in need of rejuvenation.

Liverpool’s Nunes pursuit hits snag

According to the Telegraph, Wolves have removed a clause that allowed Liverpool to trigger a summer deal for Matheus Nunes.

The Portugal international, whose list of admirers included Pep Guardiola and Klopp, signed for Wolves for a record £44million last summer.

However, the 24-year-old has struggled to consistently make his mark in the Black Country, having claimed just one assist and zero goals in his 25 Premier League appearances.

Liverpool are now reportedly considering alternative midfield targets.

With Wolves allegedly expected to demand well over £50million for the player, the total cost of any transfer could be too high for the Reds.

Liverpool are said to retain an interest in Jude Bellingham, Mason Mount and Brighton’s Moises Caicedo.

Klopp admitted last week the Reds would be active in the summer window.

Asked if he could see the club being prepared to go that high to land a player, Klopp said: “I will not answer the question because we never speak about these kinds of things.

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“We will spend in the summer, that’s what I can say, definitely. For who and how many and stuff like this, there is nothing to say about that really.”

Klopp added: “It’s clear after a specific amount of time that you need to shuffle things and kind of start anew. That is completely normal.

“It’s just rare nowadays that it happens with the same manager because people realise when you sack a manager and bring in a new manager, things change and you readjust the squad.

“After seven years it was clear that we have to do it. There is a moment when you have to make changes. We are not where we want to be, where we should be and where we have to be.”