Another Thomas Lemar transfer twist – the Frenchman was left out of AS Monaco’s 2-3 loss to Olympique Lyonnais in the Coupe de France Round Of 32 tie. This has led some of the Liverpool fans to believe that Lemar is on his way to Anfield with less than a week left in the January window. But in truth, the 22-year-old might just have been rested after a busy window and his interests might still lie in playing for a La Liga outfit rather than a Premier League one. The Liverpool management are ready to reinvest the Philippe Coutinho transfer fee to bring in a replacement and Jurgen Klopp considers Lemar as the best candidate. AS Monaco are asking for £90m, an agreeable amount for the Reds but still needs to work out personal terms with the player.
French sensation Thomas Lemar broke into the big stage of football after a fantastic last season at Monaco. The left-footed attacking midfielder, who can also play as a winger, scored 13 goals and created 14 more in 52 appearances last season. The French winger who was a star player in the free-flowing Monaco team last year created 106 chances alone for the Ligue 1 champions.
Lemar’s name around European football spread like wildfire and was pursued aggressively by Arsenal last summer. The 22-year-old has registered 8 appearances for the French national side and is expected to be in the squad for the 2018 FIFA World Cup. However, he will be facing competition from Mbappe, Ousmane Dembele and Anthony Martial and will have to prove himself in the remainder of the campaign.
The French champions oversaw a mass exodus of players including star footballers like Kylian Mbappe, Bernardo Silva, Benjamin Mendy and Tiemoue Bakayoko. They are a shadow of their former self which earned them the Ligue 1 title last season and are already suffering from a horrific display in the Champions League. Losing out on the Europa League might just be costing the club financially as they are ready to offload a few talents.
Coutinho’s exit has left a meteoric gap in the Liverpool ranks ahead of the Champions League fixture in February and Klopp needs to bring in a marquee player to keep their seasonal ambitions alive. Finishing in the top four should be one of their top priorities along with a strong showing in the Champions League.
They are set to face FC Porto in the round of the 16 of European competition and Klopp is aiming for the FA Cup trophy as well. With Arsenal prioritizing the transfer of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Klopp should snap up the opportunity to sign Lemar with the final stretch of the season already upon them.
