James Pearce has been talking about Liverpool’s move for Thomas Lemar in the summer of 2017.
The Reds added Andrew Robertson, Mohamed Salah, and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain to their squad and then failed with a deadline day move for Lemar.
Did Liverpool do well to miss out on Lemar?
Yes
No
The Athletic reporter claims that the situation was complicated because, at the time, the Monaco midfielder was Clairefontaine preparing for France’s World Cup qualifier with Holland.
The Reds had bids of £55 and £64m rejected before they decided to send a medical team to Paris to carry out a medical in the hope that they could agree a deal for the Frenchman.
Instead, Arsenal joined the chase, and Monaco demanded £90m, which ensured that he stayed in Ligue 1.
Here’s exactly what Pearce had to say:
“The situation was complicated by the fact the Monaco midfielder was at Clairefontaine preparing for France’s World Cup qualifier that night against Holland. Liverpool had already had bids of £55 million and £64 million turned down with the price continuing to rise.
Medical staff were dispatched to Paris to carry out a medical if a compromise could be reached but with Arsenal joining the race Monaco’s demands rocketed to £90 million. In the end, Lemar stayed put for another year before joining Atletico Madrid for €60 million (around £52 million).”
What do we think?
Since Lemar’s move to the Reds failed, he has had a tough time. In that following season for Monaco, the winger scored two goals and provided ten assists before Atletico Madrid brought him in.
However, his move to Spain has not gone to plan the 24-year-old has made 64 appearances for Diego Simeone’s men but has only managed to score three goals and provide six assists.
Simeone seems sick of Lemar and would love to get rid of him, but the lack of form seems to put off any potential suitors.
The French international was linked with a move to Arsenal, Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea in this window but it looks like he will not be joining either, though Bayern Munich could be an option.
At the time, this was a devastating deal for the Reds, but it actually looks like they did well to avoid signing him.