Klopp lines up £80m-valued electric winger to replace Coutinho at Liverpool after £45m bid rejected from rivals – report
By Harry Sykes
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has lined up Monaco’s Thomas Lemar as a replacement for Philippe Coutinho, according to a report.
The Sun claim the Merseyside giants have a back-up plan in place in case they are unable to prevent Coutinho moving to Barcelona in the final month of the window.
It is said that the Spanish giants are willing to offer £90million to prise the Brazilian playmaker from Anfield as a replacement for Neymar, who is set to join Paris Saint-Germain for £190million in the next 10 days.
Catalan newspaper SPORT claim Coutinho has his heart set on moving to Camp Nou this summer and has already agreed the terms of a five-year contract.
The Sun report that that Klopp is ready to rival Arsenal in the race to sign left-winger Lemar should Coutinho make a sensational move to Camp Nou.
The Gunners have already tabled three bids of up to £45million for the France international, who is valued at £80million by his club.
Coutinho has been the subject of intense speculation about his future in recent weeks amid reports that Barcelona are willing to pay huge money for him as a replacement for Neymar.
The Anfield ace skippered Liverpool as they beat Hertha Berlin 3-0 in a friendly on Saturday evening and fans took to Twitter to wax lyrical about his display.
Football Insider verdict:
Is Lemar a rising star of European football with the potential to be a world beater? Yes. Can he add a new dimension to an already exciting front line that mixes craft, technique and skill? Yes. Is he as good as Coutinho? No, not yet. Sure, the Frenchman had a sensational 16-17 season for Monaco as they stormed to the French title and Champions League semi-finals. But he would need adjustment time to English football and it would be stretching credulity to expect him to instantly make the same impact as Liverpool’s playmaker-in-chief.
In other Liverpool transfer news, Barcelona are to offer two players in part-exchange for £134million Philippe Coutinho.
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