Liverpool are in talks with Sporting Lisbon regarding a deal for winger Gelson Martins as the club continue their quest to bring in a pacy attacker.
The Reds have been in negotiations with Roma about Mohamed
Salah, but fear being priced out of a move for the Egypt international, and
Press Association Sport understands Martins is seen as a potential option.
It
has been claimed in Portugal that Martins has a buy-out clause of 60million
euros (£52million), but that Sporting's failure to qualify for the Champions
League means they would take 50million euros (£43.5million).
The 22-year-old made 44 appearances last season, scoring seven goals
and providing 14 assists, and produced a particularly impressive individual
performance against Real Madrid at the Bernabeu in the Champions League in
September.
Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp is known to want to
add more pace to his side for next term. It is understood the club have also
been monitoring Keita Balde at Lazio and Bayern Munich's Douglas Costa in
addition to Salah and Martins.
It is believed Roma's valuation of Salah is far in excess of
Liverpool's, who had a £28million bid rejected last week, and the Serie A club
are asking for more than the 40million euros (£35million) being reported in
Italy.
Roma's
American chairman James Palotta told US radio station SiriusXM: "For the
moment, there is nothing with Liverpool. We'll see what to do."
However, that did not prevent Salah, away on international duty,
allowing himself to be pictured with two fans holding Liverpool shirts.
Klopp
is keen to significantly strengthen his squad this summer in preparation for
Champions League football and has been linked with a move for Southampton
centre-back Virgil van Dijk.
It is understood the Holland international has made Anfield his
preferred destination, should he leave St Mary's, although Saints have asked
the Premier League to investigate an alleged illegal approach from Liverpool
for the player.
Former
Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard reckons the 25-year-old's capture would be a
major boost for Klopp's plans.
"I'd love to see him in a red shirt. I'm a huge fan,"
Gerrard told a 'Steven Gerrard Live' event in Belfast.
"I
thought he was fantastic at Celtic and I thought we should have had a go for
him back then.
"It will cost us a few more quid but I think he is a piece
of the jigsaw that would be very welcome and very big for this team."
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