Liverpool are hoping to spend as much as £140 million in the final days of the transfer window as manager Jurgen Klopp makes a late push to add elite-level quality to his squad.

Talks are ongoing with Monaco for winger Thomas Lemar, but it will be a tough negotiation before Thursday’s deadline to prize the midfielder in a package worth around £70m.

It is also a race against time with Lemar in the France squad facing Holland on Thursday. That effectively gives Liverpool only 24 hours to compete a deal..

Liverpool have also been monitoring Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain’s situation at Arsenal. If the player’s preference is a move to Anfield, Liverpool would match Chelsea’s £35m bid and he would be a viable alternative to Lemar. But there is an added complication because Arsenal are understood to favour Oxlade-Chamberlain heading to Stamford Bridge over Anfield as they perceive Liverpool as a more direct rival for a Champions League spot.