Liverpool have been dealt a blow in their pursuit of Bayern Munich winger Kingsley Coman.
The France international is out of contract at the Allianz Arena until 2023, and reports suggested Bayern could cash in on him this summer unless he signs an extension.
Liverpool were alerted to the possibility of Coman being made available, and are said to have been keeping tabs on the situation.
But the latest news coming out of Munich will not go down well in the corridors of power at Anfield.
Bayern’s new CEO, the legendary former goalkeeper Oliver Kahn, has delivered an update on the futures of both Coman and Manchester United-linked Leon Goretzka.
"We are in very, very good talks with both players, and I'm very optimistic," Kahn said on Monday.
“We have a great package to offer; you always have the chance to win big titles with us, and to help shape an era. Both are very, very important players, absolute top players."
Still, Liverpool will retain a degree of hope until pen hits paper. After all, David Alaba officially joined Real Madrid last week after a failure to agree a new deal at Bayern.
Kahn addressed that situation in his introductory press conference, having taken over the role from Karl-Heinz Rummenigge.
"Top players want to get accordingly paid,” he said. "We've not naive about that, that's perfectly fine. We have a clearly defined limit.”
It’s still unclear how serious Liverpool’s interest in the winger is. Coman is a top player, but there is not a natural place for him in Jurgen Klopp’s starting XI.
Neither Sadio Mane nor Mohamed Salah looks to be going anywhere, and Coman would surely not settle for a place on the bench.
Despite only being 25 years of age, the Frenchman has won 10 league titles in his senior career to date: two with PSG, two with Juventus and six with Bayern.
Subscribe to FourFourTwo today and get a FREE England Euro 96 shirt!
NOW READ
FOR YOUR HOME Euro 2020 wall chart: Download free with full schedule, fixtures and dates
MEMORY LANE When Greece won Euro 2004: Angelos Charisteas on the “miracle” shock victory
FEATURE 10 players who deserve a big transfer after Euro 2020
