Liverpool handed £36.3m asking price for Nice midfielder Jean Michael Seri after failing to land Naby Keita
Get Liverpool FC updates directly to your inbox + Subscribe Thank you for subscribing! Could not subscribe, try again later Invalid Email
Liverpool have been told they must pay the €40m (£36.3m) buy-out clause to sign Nice midfielder Jean Michael Seri.
The Ivorian star is an alternative to Naby Keita, whose club, RB Leipzig, knocked back a £66m offer earlier this summer.
The Ligue 1 club's president, Jean-Pierre Rivere, has warned the Reds they must pay the full buy-out clause if Seri is to exit the Allianz Riviera.
"Seri has €40m clause," Rivere said. "Even if people don't take clauses seriously, they deserve respect. If a club offers €40m tomorrow, he'll go."
(Image: Icon Sport)
Jurgen Klopp was desperate to land the RB Leipzig star but the Bundesliga club stood firm.
Now, the Reds want the Ivory Coast international as a secondary target, but face competition from Barcelona, Arsenal and Paris Saint-Germain.
Liverpool have walked away from a deal for Keita for the time being, after seeing their £66m offer rebuffed.
A deal for Seri will not be easy though, as Nice have no desire or need to sell after cashing in on Brazilian left-back Dalbert in a deal worth up to £25m.
(Image: AFP)
A move is further complicated by the Champions League qualifiers, both for Klopp's side against Hoffenheim and Nice, who take on Napoli.
The ties will finish on August 23, leaving just one week left until the transfer window shuts.
Should the Partenopei knock out Les Aiglons out, a deal could be struck, though progress to the group stage would all but end any possibility of signing Seri.