Liverpool launch £74m bid for Monaco star Thomas Lemar days after Arsene Wenger said Arsenal move was 'dead'
- Liverpool have launched a £66m bid with £8m in add-ons for Thomas Lemar
- The Monaco midfielder has been the subject of three Arsenal offers this summer
- Arsene Wenger confirmed Arsenal's bid to sign him was 'dead' late last week
- Liverpool could be in the market to replace Barcelona target Philippe Coutinho
Liverpool are attempting to push through a club-record £74million deal for Monaco’s Thomas Lemar with the France international keen on a move to Anfield.
The 21-year-old is waiting to see if Monaco agree to the sale after they struck agreement to send Kylian Mbappe to Paris Saint-Germain on Sunday.
Liverpool's offer is understood to be worth £66m plus further bonus payments for the exciting winger who starred in Monaco's 6-1 drubbing of Marseille on Sunday night.
Thomas Lemar arrives for France training on Monday after reports of a huge Liverpool bid
Lemar registered one assist as he played 90 minutes for Monaco in a 6-1 win over Marseille
The 21-year-old has been linked with an Arsenal move for much of the current transfer window
Manchester United and Arsenal have also made enquiries about Lemar this summer with Arsenal being rebuffed in a bid.
Arsenal's third and supposedly final offer for Lemar was worth £50m but Liverpool are hoping to beat their rivals with a bid that exceeds their valuation by almost £25m.
It would smash their current transfer record, which was broken earlier this summer with the £39m arrival of Mohamed Salah from Italian outfit Roma.
Fabinho (centre) and Kylian Mbappe (second right) are set to leave Monaco before Thursday
Should Lemar arrive, it could pave the way for Divock Origi to leave with Tottenham and Marseille among those interested. The Belgian striker could also be offered to Monaco as part of negotiations for Lemar.
The arrival of Lemar at Anfield would stoke flames of fury at the Emirates with Wenger publicly admitting defeat in his chase for the Frenchman prior to his team's 4-0 reverse to Liverpool.
Arsenal's under-fire manager claimed Monaco were refusing to do business due to Mbappe and Fabinho's likely move to Paris Saint-Germain, which would signify their fourth and fifth major departure of the summer.
Divock Origi may be free to leave Liverpool if Lemar arrives with Tottenham interested
Lemar would a be a like-for-like replacement for Barcelona target Philippe Coutinho
Wenger said: 'It's dead because Monaco has closed the door. They are still on cases like Kylian Mbappe and Fabinho.
'They've already lost Benjamin Mendy, Bernardo Silva and Tiemoue Bakayoko, so Monaco is at a stage where they have closed the door.'
While the arrival of Lemar would be a significant coup for Jurgen Klopp, the sizeable offer may be a sign that Philippe Coutinho has successfully managed to agitate a move to Barcelona.
The Brazilian remains a target for the Catalan club with a deal well in excess of £100m still a possibility before this Thursday's deadline.
As a diminutive playmaker, Lemar would fit the bill as a like-for-like replacement for the Reds.
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