Monaco confirm that Thomas Lemar will not be replacing Barcelona-bound Philippe Coutinho at Liverpool in January

The Independent revealed last month that the Reds were preparing a £90m move for the winger

Monaco have no intention of selling Thomas Lemar during the January transfer window, shortening Liverpool’s list of replacements for the seemingly Barcelona-bound Philippe Coutinho.

Reports in December suggested the Reds would turn to Lemar to continue their January transfer splurge after splashing out a world record fee for a defender on Virgil van Dijk, amid interest from both Chelsea and Arsenal for the winger.

Arsenal had a fee agreed for the 22-year-old on deadline day last year, only for him to reject the Gunners, thus causing the collapse of Alexis Sanchez’s move to Manchester City – a similar situation that Liverpool now find themselves in with Coutinho.

The Independent revealed last month that Liverpool would move for Lemar, and that he favoured a move to Anfield rather than the Emirates, but head coach Leonardo Jardim has dismissed that as a possibility this month.

“Monaco are not in the habit of making big sales in the winter,” Jardim said. “It’s our strategy. The players understand and they know how it goes here.”

However, Liverpool still could test the water with a £90m-plus bid as the club do not want to be in a situation where any sale leaves them short of options.