Liverpool table second bid for star player after initial offer was turned down

Liverpool have stepped up their offer for Monaco starlet Thomas Lemar to more than £64.6million and are now forcing a deal to be sealed before the summer transfer window closes on Thursday.

According to Telegraph Sport, an initial offer of £55million for the starlet was turned down by the French Ligue 1 club earlier this summer, but the Reds have returned with an improved bid and are aware that the France international would like to leave the Ligue 1 club.

Sources in France say an offer is now in excess of £64.6million although AS Monaco have claimed all summer that Lemar will not be sold. Monaco have already turned down offers from Premier League rivals Arsenal while Chelsea, Manchester United, and Tottenham Hotspur have also declared their interest.

If the youngster did join the Merseyside club, it would be a huge embarrassment for the Gunners in particular, who have shown a lot of interest all summer, with their boss Arsene Wenger confirming that any attempt to sign the forward during this transfer window as “dead.”

Liverpool’s improved bid, which would beat their transfer record, does not depend on the sale of Philippe Coutinho, who is keen on leaving Anfield.

The Ligue 1 Champions have lost several stars including Bernardo Silva, Tiemoue Bakayoko, and Benjamin Mendy during this summer transfer window and have now reportedly agreed to transfer deal to allow Kylian Mbappe to join rivals Paris Saint-Germain.