Jeremie Frimpong may be considered a likely signing for Liverpool this summer, but those within his current club Bayer Leverkusen insist no deal is close.
Speculation over Frimpong joining Liverpool mounted on Tuesday with a series of reports from Germany indicating a transfer was progressing swiftly.
This has since been downplayed by sources on Merseyside, with the Mail‘s Lewis Steele providing an update on Wednesday.
The 24-year-old is “on the shortlist and well-liked by Liverpool” and he is “extremely keen on the move,” but a move which “could indeed move quickly” still depends on whether the club “decide to pull the trigger.”
Frimpong is available for €40 million (£33.7m) due to a release clause in his contract, but Leverkusen managing director Fernando Carro does not believe a switch is close at this stage.
“Jeremie Frimpong has a long contract with us, which also has an exit clause, but we are currently unaware of any transfer,” Carro told German outlet sport.de.
It is widely believed that much of the talk around Frimpong joining Liverpool has come from the player’s side, with his agent thought to be pushing heavily for a transfer while the club are still mulling it over.
Carro touched upon that subject as he continued his interview with sport.de, admitting it was a situation he has grown used to in his job.
“The rumours surprised me a bit when I started in the football business seven years ago,” he said.
“As I’ve gradually become more involved, there are always different interested parties, there are different parties, there are different relationships.
“It’s actually quite difficult to figure out where the rumours come from, but I have to say, there are many that really surprise me.”
Clearly there is still a way to go before Frimpong becomes a Liverpool player, if at all, though the presence of a release clause means a deal could accelerate quickly.
Leverkusen are yet to be informed of any intention to sign their No. 30 and that is of course paramount when deciphering reality and fiction on the rumour mill.
It is still a story that should be followed closely, with the club’s interest genuine.
But as far as Liverpool are concerned, it seems as though they will continue to monitor the situation while debating whether or not to push for a new right-back this summer.
