Liverpool have seen an improved second bid for Kylian Mbappe turned down.
Mbappe is sparking a battle among Europe’s elite clubs with Real Madrid still favourites to land the burgeonining Monaco striker this summer.
But the Reds remain undeterred in their attempts to lure the 18-year-old to Anfield despite an improved approach being rejected by the Ligue 1 champions.
According to Marca, Liverpool’s £88 million bid failed to convince Monaco.
Jurgen Klopp has expressed an interest in signing Mbappe as the club’s hierarcy assess whether the player would be open to a move to the Premier League.
The current Champions League holders remains the most likely destination for the France international although Liverpool and Arsenal are both still pursuing.
An ability to compete in Europe’s elite club competition offers Klopp an upper hand on the Gunners, whom Liverpool pipped to a top four finish last season.
Mbappe’s game time would also be greater in England than at the Bernabeu despite Zinedine Zidane’s reported pledges of a guaranteed starring role.
Klopp is hoping that, combined with Champions League football, can be enough to sway the marksman as he looks to stake a claim for the 2018 World Cup.
Monaco owner Dmitri Rybolovlev is keen to keep Mbappe at the club and has said it would take a world record fee before he considered selling the forward.
The Frenchman scored 15 goals in 29 league appearances as Monaco went on to win Ligue 1 as the top scoring team in Europe’s top five leagues.