Liverpool have rubbished suggestions the club is in pursuit of Aston Villa starlet Jack Grealish.
Tenuous reports had claimed the Reds held discussions over a move for the Englishman with Villa’s recently-sacked technical director Steve Round.
Grealish is widely-expected to leave Villa Park this summer as the club contends with financial issues after failing to secure promotion to the Premier League.
The Englishman built a glowing reputation as one of the Championship’s star performers last season, but saw his team fall short in May’s play-off final defeat to Fulham.
Despite rumours, the Liverpool Echo have confirmed that the club has no interest in signing Grealish.
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Grealish is now looking increasingly likely to join Tottenham Hotspur for a fee of £15million after Villa had initially set out a £25million asking-price.
Promotion would have been an ideal scenario for the Englishman, who has made no secret of his allegiance to the Villans and desire to lead the club to success.
As one of the club’s prized assets, Grealish always loomed as one of the first big names to be sold as a means of meeting financial fair-play regulations.
On Merseyside, the hunt for a Philippe Coutinho replacement continues behind-the-scenes following the late collapse of a £53million deal for Nabil Fekir.
The Frenchman’s future is likely to become clearer after he returns home from the World Cup, with Liverpool having been tipped to revive negotiations with Lyon.