Liverpool have reportedly submitted a £47 million transfer offer for Real Madrid midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni, a season after missing out on the Frenchman to the La Liga giants.
Last summer, Real Madrid paid Monaco £85m including add-ons for Tchouameni, beating Liverpool to his signature. However, according to reports, Jurgen Klopp's side have revived their interest in the 23-year-old, with his sporadic game time at the Bernabeu potentially opening the door for his exit.
Indeed, while Tchouameni played 50 times for Real Madrid last season in all competitions, only 33 were starts as Toni Kroos, Luka Modric, Federico Valverde and Eduardo Camavinga were all preferred for big games - such as their Champions League semi-final tie against Manchester City.
The arrival of Jude Bellingham this summer could signal the end of Tchouameni's time at Real Madrid, and Liverpool have tested their resolve with an opening offer of £47m, according to Catalan outlet El Nacional.
The report suggests that Real Madrid are willing to negotiate over the sale of Tchouameni, but a much higher price is expected. El Nacional writes that Madrid president Florentino Perez will want to recoup as much of their original investment as possible, with a quoted figure of £68m deemed acceptable.
Liverpool have already kickstarted their summer spending by signing Alexis Mac Allister from Brighton and Hove Albion, and are intent on bolstering their squad in order to challenge Manchester City for the Premier League title next season.
More Liverpool stories
While Klopp would love to add Tchouameni to his midfield, that hasn't stopped Liverpool from working on other signings, too. Ryan Gravenberch from Bayern Munich has been touted, while PSG wonderkid Warren Zaire-Emery could swap the French capital for Merseyside.
However, Saudi Arabia are set to continue their spending, and have targeted Mo Salah as the next high-profile star to add to the Saudi Pro League. Thiago Alcantara could also be heading to the Middle East.
