Liverpool are desperate to land Monaco's Thomas Lemar before Thursday's transfer deadline and are prepared to pay big bucks, as well as offer striker Divock Origi on loan as part of a deal.
The France international was one of the top performers for Leonardo Jardim's side as Monaco won the Ligue One and reached the Champions League semi-finals last term, scoring 14 times and registering 17 assists in all competitions.
He was heavily courted by Arsenal, who made three bids for the midfielder but are no longer pursuing a deal after Arsene Wenger conceded a deal was "dead".
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But Liverpool, still looking for incomings as we enter the final two days of the transfer window, have expressed interest in Lemar and reportedly had a £65 million bid knocked back by Monaco, who have already lost Bernardo Silva and Benjamin Mendy this summer, and are on the verge of losing Kylian Mbappe to PSG.
However, widespread reports, including a story from Simon Jones from The Mail, claim that the Reds are still keen on securing Lemar's services and have submitted a new offer for the 21-year old.
Image: PA
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The proposal comprises of a bid of £74 million, with £46 million upfront and a further £28 million to end up in Monaco's back pocket next summer.
But to tempt the Principality side even further, it's believed that Liverpool have offered striker Divock Origi on loan as a makeweight in a potential deal.
The Belgian finished the 2016/17 campaign with 11 goals in 20 starts across all competitions but is not seen as indispensable by Jurgen Klopp, who has Roberto Firmino, Daniel Sturridge and Dominic Solanke as his forward options.
Image: PA
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James Pearce from the Liverpool Echo says that Monaco are one of a plethora of clubs keeping tabs on Origi, who made his name in Ligue One with Lille before getting his big move to Anfield.
Marseille, Bayer Leverkusen, Werder Bremen, Newcastle, Crystal Palace and Tottenham are all said to have shown interest.
Origi came on as a substitute in Liverpool's 3-3 draw against Watford a few weeks back, but was overlooked in the squad for the 4-0 drubbing inflicted on Arsenal at Anfield on Sunday, with Solanke getting the nod.
Lemar, meanwhile, is able to play centrally or from wide roles in midfield, and would be a mightily fine addition to Liverpool's attacking options.
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Reds fans, is £74 million plus Origi on loan a decent deal to land Lemar this late in the window?
Sound off in the comments.
Featured Image Credit: PATopics: Liverpool, Thomas Lemar, Divock Origi