Liverpool told to forget about ‘deal’ for €75m defensive target

There is no chance of Liverpool getting reported transfer target Diego Carlos for a bargain fee this summer, claims a report.

Jurgen Klopp is focused on looking for a replacement for Dejan Lovren, who last month sealed a £10.9m move to Zenit St Petersburg.

The Croatian made 15 appearances this season before ending a six-year spell at Anfield. He had fallen to fourth-choice centre-back in the pecking order behind Virgil Van Dijk, Joe Gomez and Joel Matip.

Still, Klopp is believed to be chasing a replacement, who can challenge his three existing centre-backs.

One player who has been regularly touted for the Reds is Sevilla defender Carlos.

Goal claimed Sevilla received two significant bids from English clubs in the last few months. The first offer arrived in June, with the second coming in July.

Manchester City have also been heavily linked with Carlos, but Sevilla will play hardball over his transfer fee.

Earlier speculation said Sevilla were “looking forward” to making significant capital gain on Carlos. The 27-year-old cost £13.5million and has a release clause of €75million (£67.6million) in his deal which expires in 2024.

And now Spanish news outlet AS report that the LaLiga side will not budge on that fee and are not interested in engaging with negotiations this summer.

Liverpool close on Lewis deal

Meanwhile, Norwich City full-back Jamal Lewis has agreed a move to Liverpool in principle with the two clubs now reportedly talking over a fee.

The 22-year-old left-back, who made 25 starts in the Premier League, is wanted by Jurgen Klopp, according to numerous reports.

Klopp is looking for back up for Andy Robertson and the Northern Ireland international is understood to have agreed to sign for the champions on that understanding.

The Athletic reporter James Pearce says that Lewis is eager to get a move to Anfield and is happy to accept a understudy role to Robertson.