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Liverpool and Chelsea knocked back in Jan Oblak pursuit - but could renew interest
LIVERPOOL and Chelsea both tried to sign Atletico Madrid goalkeeper Jan Oblak in the summer, according to reports.
Jurgen Klopp says Jan Oblak is 'too expensive' to sign
Slovenian newspaper Ekipa claim the Premier League rivals were put off by the price tag, with his release clause set at €100million (£88.5m).
Liverpool signed Brazil international Alisson from Roma in a £67m deal instead, while Chelsea turned to Athletic Bilbao stopper Kepa Arrizabalaga - forking out a whopping £71m to sign him.
However, the report claims they could still renew their interest as Atletico chiefs are not happy with his contract demands.
They want to double his release clause to €200m (£177m).
And the report claims Oblak, whose deal runs out in 2021, is not happy to sign with those terms.
The Slovenia international is one of the most highly-rated stoppers in Europe.
Oblak, 25, kept a whopping 20 clean sheets for Diego Simeone’s side in La Liga last season.
That was the joint most along with Barcelona’s Marc-Andre ter Stegen.
He has another five shutouts to his name in the league in the current campaign - once again - the joint most.
While Liverpool and Chelsea might be keeping an eye on how contract negotiations progress, they are also looking to strengthen in other areas.
Blues boss Maurizio Sarri is said to be looking for a striker to help out misfiring duo Olivier Giroud and Alvaro Morata.
Inter Milan striker Mauro Icardi, 25, is reported to be a target, but would cost around £90m.
Top three saves by Atletico Madrid goalkeeper Jan Oblak
They could also face competition from Barcelona for the Argentina star’s signature.
Liverpool are understood to be tracking Serie A top scorer Krzysztof Piatek.
The Genoa star, 23, has bagged nine goals this term - averaging a strike every 80 minutes.