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Liverpool could face competition from Tottenham and Arsenal should it look to pursue a deal for Lyon winger Malick Fofana.
The Reds were reportedly weighing up a move for Fofana in the summer as a replacement for Luis Diaz, but ultimately did not want to block Rio Ngumoha's pathway into the first team.
Fofana, 20, is valued at around $58 million (£42.9M) and is said to have attracted interest from a host of top clubs, including Chelsea, Nottingham Forest, Inter Milan, Napoli, and Bayern Munich. But Spurs could jump ahead of the queue as they target a January deal for the Belgian international, who revealed he'd received interest from Premier League clubs in the summer but ultimately failed to land a move.
Fofana went as far as to confirm his camp had received contact from Liverpool and Chelsea in the off-season, telling Het Belang van Limburg: "There was interest from those two clubs, but ultimately nothing concrete.
“I’ve considered a transfer, but now I think it’s more important that I play a lot, and that has to happen at Lyon. Because I still have some progress to make.”
CaughtOffside reports that Spurs will now launch a fresh bid to land Fofana's services in January after failing with a deadline-day swoop to sign him. Lyon did not want to sell the youngster so late in the window when it had no time to sign a replacement.
Fofana is thought to be keen to play Champions League football - something Spurs can offer, providing they are able to navigate their way through the competition's league phase.
Key to Fofana's decision is clearly the prospect of him playing regularly, something which bears particular significance heading into a World Cup year.
He was on the scoresheet on Thursday as Belgium thrashed Liechtenstein 6-0 in the country's World Cup qualifier and would almost certainly be part of the squad should Belgium secure its place in next summer's tournament.
That could play a pivotal factor in any January transfer, though Liverpool may already have moved on.
Teenager Ngumoha has already made a stunning start to his breakthrough season, scoring the winner against Newcastle and making his debut for England U19s. Liverpool has high expectations for the 17-year-old and already has Cody Gakpo and Hugo Ekitike, who can also play on the left side of attack.
Liverpool may also prioritize a move for Crystal Palace defender Marc Guehi when the window reopens, after missing out on his signature on deadline day.
Both clubs had agreed to a deal for the center-back until Palace pulled the plug at the eleventh hour, as head coach Oliver Glasner did not want to go into the next few months without signing a replacement.
Guehi is out of contract at the end of the season, putting Palace under pressure to sell its captain for a fee rather than lose him for nothing next June.
Liverpool's pursuit has been complicated by interest from Bayern Munich and Real Madrid, who can enter direct negotiations with the player from January 1 and sign him on a pre-contract agreement should he opt for a move elsewhere.
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