Portuguese midfielder Joao Mario is a target for Premier League giants Liverpool.
Jurgen Klopp is looking to sign a central midfielder and has been impressed with the Portuguese international.
Mario had a very good tournament in France and helped his side to the Euro 2016 glory. The Sporting midfielder has been monitored by the likes of Inter Milan, Chelsea and Manchester United as well. Chelsea submitted a 38 million pounds bid for him before the Euros.
The player’s father has now confirmed that Sporting have rejected a 40 million Euros bid from Liverpool for his son.
“Proposals for the lad don’t come directly to me,” Joao Mario’s father said.
“They go to his agent, Kia Joorabchian, and the Sporting President. I was informed, however, that the club said no to €35m plus €10m in bonuses from Inter and to €40m from Liverpool. Nothing particular has happened, my son is a professional and knows he has a contract with Sporting.”
“At the same time, we’re talking about a very valuable player for the club, who would aspire to bigger projects in the course of his career.”
Liverpool’s interest in the player makes sense considering the fact that they were determined to land Zielinski and Dahoud. Both players are similar to Mario, only Dahoud can play lot more deeper and control the tempo of the game.
Apparently Sporting are holding out for a fee of 60 million Euros for the Portuguese star and it is highly unlikely that anyone would pay that.
As things stand, Sporting have rejected two bids for Mario, from Liverpool and Inter Milan.
The player wants to join a bigger project according to his father, but it seems very unlikely unless Sporting lower their valuation.
Add Sportslens to your Google News Feed!
