- Liverpool suffer setback in pursuit of Monaco’s Thomas Lemar
- Frenchman reportedly favours move to Barcelona in the summer
- Lemar had been viewed as potential Philippe Coutinho replacement
- SEE MORE: Liverpool agree to sign defender who trialled with club in 2016
Liverpool could be set to find themselves at an impasse in their pursuit of Monaco’s Thomas Lemar.
The Frenchman drifted back onto the Reds’ radar this month as Philippe Coutinho’s £142million move to Barcelona edged towards completion.
Having been subject to a bid worth upwards of £70million in the summer, Lemar resurfaced as a potential replacement for the Brazilian at Anfield.
Hopes of acquiring Lemar’s services were subsequently dashed when Monaco expressed a refusal to sell the 22-year-old midway through the season.
In another setback, the player himself has made it clear that he favours a move to Barcelona as opposed to Liverpool or Arsenal, according to the Daily Star.
Though the Catalan giants are known to be avid admirers of Lemar, it seems unlikely they would be prepared to meet his £90million valuation given their plans to invest heavily in Atletico Madrid’s Antoine Griezmann.
The expectation remains that Jurgen Klopp will dip into his bulging funds to try and bring his priority attacking target during the summer window.
Until then, however, there’s an increasingly slim chance of Liverpool strengthening significantly given the apparent lack of available and adequate options on the market.
The Reds had hoped to get Naby Keita through the door earlier than his scheduled July arrival, but were met with an insistence from RB Leipzig that the Guinean would not be leaving until the summer.
Understandably, few clubs are prepared to let their star assets leave this month.