Liverpool ‘suffer blow’ in pursuit of Barcelona wonderkid

Liverpool have had a long standing interest in Barcelona youngster Gavi, however it appears they have finally ended their pursuit.

According to reports, the Reds have ‘given up’ on signing the 17-year-old, with Barcelona set to offer him a bumper new contract to remain at the Nou Camp.

Jurgen Klopp appears eager to bring in a central midfielder this summer after failing to replace Gini Wijnaldum a year ago and Gavi was considered as a brilliant replacement.

The Spaniard has exceptional potential and has already made 39 appearances for the senior team and, with an alarmingly low release clause of £36 million, is an extremely tempting option for Liverpool.

However, Gavi looks set to put pen to paper on a new deal with the Spanish giants, with SPORT claiming it would contain a whopping €1billion release clause.

Instead, the Merseyside club are continuing to show interest in Leeds United’s Kalvin Phillips.

The midfielder has attracted interest from the likes of Manchester United and Man City, but it will be extremely difficult to lure him away from his boyhood club.

Klopp clearly has a much bigger task on his hands than previous summer, with Sadio Mane also departing the club.

After a quiet couple of years in the transfer department, the Reds’ owners will have to fork out some cash if they are to keep up with City in the upcoming title races.