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Monaco VP Makes it Clear Thomas Lemar Won't Be Sold Before January Deadline

Thomas Lemar has been the apple of Liverpool and Arsenal's eye, but he won't be leaving Monaco.
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Liverpool are virtually certain not to sign Monaco winger Thomas Lemar before the transfer deadline on Wednesday night after the French champions declared the player is '100%' staying put, with Jurgen Klopp earlier stating that Philippe Coutinho will not be replaced this month.

Lemar, who is thought to have rejected a £90m move to Arsenal last summer because he preferred Liverpool, was suggested to be the Reds' idea of a replacement for Coutinho following the Brazilian's €160m switch to Barcelona at the start of the month.

Any hope there was of luring him to Anfield has, however, been dashed after Monaco vice president Vadim Vasilyev told French broadcaster RMC in no uncertain terms that Lemar will not be sold before the summer at the very earliest.

Asked if he could '100% guarantee' that Lemar will stay at Monaco until at the least the end of the season, Vasilyev replied, "Yes".

"[If Liverpool or Arsenal come with a big offer] it is irrelevant," he added. "We will say no because the objectives are clear. Without important players like Lemar, we will not succeed."

Arsenal had also been linked with the French international again, although the existing arrival of Henrikh Mkhitaryan and the expected arrival of Pierre-Emerick Aubmeyang ended any realistic chance of the Gunners seriously resurrecting their previous interest.

Earlier in the day, Klopp had declared that the Coutinho will not be immediately reinvested. Instead, the manager, who added Virgil van Dijk to the defensive ranks as the window opened on 1st January, will look within to fill the void.

"Philippe Coutinho is not going to be replaced in this transfer window. It's about using our own tools, players and tactics," he is quoted as saying by the Liverpool Echo.

"The solution is not out there on the transfer market at the moment. We always have open eyes but we really think we have to use our players. In the long-term, we will do a lot, in the short-term, I don't think so."