Two reports in separate Spanish outlets today claim that Real Madrid have rejected an monstrous €50m bid (about £42m) from Liverpool for Marco Asensio.
Both Cadena COPE and AS run the report (translated here by the Independent), suggesting that we’ve tried to get a run on our competitors for the 21-year-old Spanish playmaker, who came off the bench and bagged against Bayern Munich in the Champions League quarterfinals midweek.
Asensio has climbed above both Isco and James Rodriguez in the pecking order at the Bernabeu, with Zinedine Zidane preferring the inexperienced youngster ahead of two world-renowned stars.
.@marcoasensio10 ?| Fichajes, AS & Cadena Cope claiming #LFC have bid for Asensio.
Here he is Vs Bayern in the CL quarters recently! pic.twitter.com/j6UxWsDl1L
— LFC Transfer Room (@LFCTransferRoom) April 20, 2017
Los Blancos are leading La Liga and are on course to defend their Champions League title, so you can’t question his judgement.
Stylistically, Asensio loves to dribble and possesses phenomenal close-control. He plays short passes and is a real threat some set-pieces as well.
£42m is a huge fee for a player who’s made just eight La Liga starts this term, but it’s his potential we’d be acquiring. Clearly though, Real Madrid have no interest in selling, and if they did, you can be sure we wouldn’t be the only prospective suitor.
On top of this, we’re not convinced the reports are genuine. Liverpool’s shortlist for the summer has been well publicised by the trusted sources, and Asensio’s name hasn’t figured.