Liverpool are lining up Leicester City winger Riyad Mahrez to replace Philippe Coutinho- if the Thomas Lemar deal falls through.
Liverpool are targeting Algerian winger Riyad Mahrez as a potential replacement for the outgoing Philippe Coutinho, but only if the move for Monaco star Thomas Lemar falls through.
Coutinho is on the verge of joining Barcelona and he could potentially leave in January so the Reds are desperate to find a replacement soon.
Monaco’s highly rated Thomas Lemar has been identified by the Reds as their primary target but doubts remain if they will get him as other top clubs are in for him too.
Both The Independent and French newspaper L’Equipe report that if the Lemar collapses, Liverpool will go for 26-year-old Riyad Mahrez instead.
Mahrez still has three years remaining on his contract at Leicester and manager Claude Puel has insisted that Mahrez is happy and will stay at the Foxes. But it’s believed if Liverpool make a big offer, it will be hard for Leicester to keep the Algerian.
Manager Jurgen Klopp recently spoke about Mahrez stating: “[Mahrez] is a fantastic player to be honest. I can imagine a lot of clubs are interested in him.”
And Klopp is indeed right, with recent reports stating that Chelsea, Arsenal and Manchester United are all interested.
The Algerian has been in good form for the Foxes after scoring seven goals and assisting seven from 22 appearances in the Premier League this season.
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