Liverpool's pursuit of £51M 'dribbling king' under threat - Reds threaten to walk away over price tag

Liverpool's hunt for their £51M midfield target may have hit a major stumbling block according to the latest reports.

The Reds have been linked with the likes of Jude Bellingham, Nicolo Barella, Marcelo Brozovic and most frequently with Matheus Nunes.

Reports have intensified in recent weeks due to Thiago's injury, which looks set to rule him out for at least six weeks.

With reports beginning to pick up pace, it seems Liverpool's pursuit of Nunes has taken a turn for the worse.

Latest reports on Nunes

According to reports from Portuguese outlet A Bola (via Sports Witness) reports the Reds have already quit the race, choosing not to even make an offer. The report doesn’t bring a reason for that, although the obvious answer here may be the price demanded by the Lions.

The report says Sporting currently request €50M for the player but clearly the Reds aren't happy to spend that much on the player having already dropped £85M on Darwin Nunez.

West Ham United had a £25M bid rejected, Chelsea have also registered an interest as well as Wolves who offered big money for Nunes before he rejected the offer.

Reports of Nunes to Liverpool being unlikely have been raised before; James Pearce of the Athletic took to social media to deny the rumours.

Fans may be disappointed to hear that, but with Jurgen Klopp insisting that they will look for alternatives within their squad, it’s likely we will see more game time for the young stars Fabio Carvalho and Harvey Elliot.

No midfield signing for Liverpool?

It seems that Liverpool are happy to wait another season before strengthening their midfield - with Jude Bellingham heralded as the main target.

Although, Liverpool have utilised the January window to good effect in recent seasons so don't rule out a potential move for a midfielder in that window if needed.

It seems the likes of Harvey Elliot and Fabio Carvalho will get more minutes in the three-man midfield whilst Jurgen Klopp waits for Thiago to return.

Elliot, 19, should get the nod given he did start the opening four games of last season before a long-term injury disrupted his momentum.