According to reports in French publication L'Equipe, Liverpool have been boosted in their January pursuit of Monaco star Thomas Lemar after the Ligue 1 club's manager Leonardo Jardim refused to rule out selling the Frenchman during the January transfer window, but The Mirror says they will have to pay £90m to land him.

What's the word, then?

Well, according to L'Equipe when Jardim was questioned about the future of Lemar, he said: "We are not used to selling in the winter, but the transfer window lasts until the end of the month and many things can happen."

The France international is a target for the Reds to replace Philippe Coutinho after the Brazilian joined Barcelona over the weekend, but The Mirror says they will have to pay a club-record £90m fee if they want to bring the 22-year-old to Anfield.

The latest reports in L'Equipe suggest that while Monaco haven't ruled out selling Lemar if they receive an acceptable offer, it seems unlikely that they will be willing to negotiate on their asking price this month.

How has Lemar done this season?

He certainly hasn't been as good as he was during the previous campaign, but he has still done well.

The versatile Frenchman, who has proven that he can play on either flank or in more of a central attacking midfield role, has scored two goals and provided a further four assists in 19 appearances in all competitions this term.

That record is relatively disappointing when you consider that he netted 14 goals and picked up 17 assists in 55 outings in total for Monaco last season, but there is no doubt to the potential that he has.

Will Liverpool bid £90m for him this month?

It's difficult to say, and depends on how desperate Jurgen Klopp is to bring in a replacement for Coutinho.

The German boss will likely know that he will have to pay over the odds for a player in January given the huge fee they received for the Brazilian, and it is up to him to decide whether they can through to the end of the campaign without replacing the 25-year-old, or whether they need to do it now.

The Merseyside outfit have certainly shown that they aren't afraid to splash the cash on the right players, and they will risk missing out on Lemar if they don’t sign him before January 31.

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