Liverpool transfer news: Mbappe, Fernandes, Dembele, Ojo, McCarthy, Targett

PSG: Mbappe is 200% staying

Any faint hopes that Liverpool had of landing Paris Saint-Germain superstar Kylian Mbappe this summer appear to have been wiped out.

The French champions have indicated that they would be willing to sell Neymar, but not their other attacking spearhead.

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Ruling out a move by the 20-year-old, club president Nasser Al-Khelaifi told France Football: “Mbappe will 200% be at PSG next season.”

The Daily Mirror reports that Mbappe has been linked with both Liverpool and Real Madrid, but Al-Khelaifi has said he is certain the player will remain in Paris.

But is that the end of the matter? Maybe not, says the Daily Express, which notes that a look at the player’s Instagram feed shows that he has recently “followed Liverpool players past and present, including Fabinho and Mohamed Salah”.

And it might not just be coincidence, with the newspaper reporting that Mbappe has “also followed former Reds Philippe Coutinho, Steven Gerrard and Luis Suarez, along with other rumoured transfer targets Nabil Fakir and Memphis Depay”.

Fight for Fernandes

As if Manchester United didn’t have enough on their plate, arch enemies Liverpool are looking to undermine their summer transfer business.

According to reports in Portugal, Liverpool have made a £40m offer for Sporting Lisbon ace Bruno Fernandes – who is also on the radar of United, Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur.

The 24-year-old enjoyed a stellar campaign last season as he scored 29 goals and contributed 17 assists – stats that have caught the eye of the European big guns.

The Daily Mirror reports that Liverpool will have to dig a little deeper if they want their man. The paper says Sporting will hold out for a larger offer with so many clubs interested in their star man. Fernandes has an £86m release clause written into his contract.

Barcelona offer Dembele

Liverpool may already boast a fearsome line-up of forwards, but could they be about to add another of Europe’s most wanted to their roster?

According to website TeamTalk, the Reds “have been given the green light by Barcelona to make a bid for Ousmane Dembele”.

The 22-year-old French star joined Barca in 2017 after Neymar jumped ship to PSG, but has failed to live up to expectations and could be on the move.

TeamTalk claims that “intermediaries have told Liverpool that Dembele is available, and that they are one of his preferred destinations”. However, the Spanish side will not want to sell for anything less than the £90m they paid for the speedster.

That might not be too much of a barrier for the Champions League winners. “Liverpool had not planned on a huge outlay this summer, unless one of Jurgen Klopp’s top targets came to the market – and Dembele is one of those,” says the website.

Ojo off to Rangers

Youngster Sheyi Ojo is close to completing a loan move to Rangers, reports the Daily Mail, which says the 21-year-old “was spotted driving into the Glasgow club’s training base on Monday morning”.

The newspaper adds: “The Reds winger, who won the Under-20 World Cup with England back in 2017, has enjoyed loan spells at Fulham and Reims since that success in South Korea.

“He is a fast wideman but since making the transition from the Liverpool youth ranks into the senior set-up four years ago he has only made 13 appearances for the club.”

Double raid on Saints?

Liverpool could swoop for two Southampton players this summer, according to reports.

Metro claims that goalkeeper Alex McCarthy is being lined up to act as understudy to Alisson.

With Simon Mignolet expected to leave the club, Metro says that 29-year-old McCarthy has “emerged as the No.1 target to replace the Belgian”.

Meanwhile, the Daily Star reports that Liverpool are one of several clubs monitoring 23-year-old full-back Matt Targett.

However, the paper suggests that he may get more first-team football at Arsenal or one of his other suitors, including Aston Villa, Leicester City and Newcastle United.