Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp sanctioned a £85m January bid for Barcelona renegade Ousmane Dembele, according to talkSPORT.
The French starlet has endured a difficult spell in Catalunya recently with rumours of him skipping training surfacing. Those reports were denied by Ernesto Valverde but chime with Didier Deschamps own fractious relationship with the player.
Injuries continue to mar his time at the Camp Nou. However, four goals in 11 appearances push the winger past last season’s total in six fewer matches.
A member of the France World Cup winning squad, Dembele moved to Barcelona in a £135.5m deal in August 2017. Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp, however, believes the price will drop to £85m, which is still £10m more than the club’s current transfer fee record paid for Virgil Van Dijk.
Regularly touted as one of European football’s hottest prospects, Dembele is still wanted by Barcelona, or at least that’s what his agent Moussa Sissoko claimed to have been told by Eric Abidal, the Catalans technical director.
Arsenal were also strongly linked with a move for the 21-year-old striker with Danny Welbeck out for several months after breaking his ankle against Sporting Clube in the Europa League. The prospects of the north London club usurping their Premier League rivals seem remote; the Gunners eyes are seemingly on cheaper prizes.
