£20m Liverpool defender bid rejected amid shock talk of Klopp signing’s return

Duje Caleta-Car

Liverpool have reportedly had a €23million (£20million) bid for Duje Caleta-Car rejected by Marseille, who feel ‘convinced’ that the centre-back will stay.

Jurgen Klopp’s men are chasing defensive cover as the January transfer window closes.

While Preston’s Ben Davies has agreed a deal, reports claim that Liverpool want a second centre-back signing.

Indeed, Croatia international Caleta-Car and Schalke’s Ozan Kabak remain firm targets for the Reds.

RMC Sport (via Get French Football News) claims that Liverpool have made a £20million bid for the former player.

But the Ligue 1 side have rejected the offer and feel insistent that Caleta-Car will remain in the south of France until at least the end of the season.

Respected journalist Fabrizio Romano adds (via Twitter) that Marseille fell ‘convinced’ about their stance.

Liverpool had held talks with Marseille over a deal bring Caleta-Car to Anfield. What’s more, the 24-year-old had travelled to Marseille Province Airport, expecting a deal to go through.

But the Ligue 1 side halted negotiations, unsure about whether they would be able to find a replacement in time.

As such, the news of a bid is fresh as Liverpool hunt for their second centre-back signing of Monday’s deadline day.

Romano rules out Klavan return

In the same tweet, Romano also wrote about loose reports linking Ragnar Klavan with a return to Merseyside.

The 35-year-old Estonian moved to Anfield in 2016 and played 53 times for the Reds before his departure to Serie A side Cagliari in 2018.

But talk has surfaced that the 126-time international could be a consideration.

Romano, though, shot that down, saying that Cagliari sources have denied the possibility of such a transfer happening.

Meanwhile, a separate report from the Liverpool Echo has outlined the specifics of Davies’ move from Preston to Liverpool.

Indeed, the newspaper has revealed a clause involving Sepp van den Berg’s loan move as part of the deal.

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