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Liverpool transfer news: Reds suffer major Thomas Lemar blow
LIVERPOOL transfer target Thomas Lemar has agreed to sign for Atletico Madrid.
The Frenchman has been heavily linked with a move to the Premier League outfit over the last 12 months.
However, Liverpool continuously refused to meet Monaco's valuation of Lemar, which stands at around £90m.
But it appears Atletico Madrid have swooped in and secured a deal before the World Cup.
According to L'Equipe, Lemar has agreed terms with the La Liga outfit, signing a two-year deal.
Director of Sport Andrea Berta travelled to France to hold talks with Monaco officials about a potential deal last week.
And reports in Spain on Tuesday morning suggested Atletico have reserved the No 10 jersey for the attacker upon his arrival after this month's World Cup.
Monaco have already sold Fabinho to Liverpool this summer, while team-mate Djibril Sidibe has been heavily linked with a move to the Premier League already this summer.
The Reds could have turned to Lemar after their deal for Nabil Fekir fell through over the weekend.
Lemar and Sidibé run football workshop for school children
The Lyon star was expected to finalise his £53m transfer to Merseyside before the deal was scrapped after the player's medical.
Fekir now looks set to remain in Ligue 1 beyond the summer.
The attacker will feature alongside Lemar for Didier Deschamps' France side in the coming weeks in Russia.