Liverpool must act quickly if they wish to stay in the race to sign St Etienne midfielder Blaise Matuidi after Ligue 1 rivals Paris Saint Germain lodged a £9m offer.
The Anfield club has been strongly linked with a move for the France international with talkSPORT claiming they were prepared to pay around £8m to take him to the Premier League.
Despite being amongst the favourites to sign Matuidi, Liverpool will need to table an official and competitive offer, with negotiations thought to be underway between St Etienne and PSG.
It was revealed earlier this month by St Etienne's vice-president Roland Romeyer that Matuidi had a €15m (£13.2m) buy-out clause in his contract and the midfield enforcer would leave if a club matched that figure.
"When he extended (his contract) with a big pay rise ... we all signed an agreement with his agents for 13m Euro plus 2m Euro bonus clauses," he said.
"Below this rate, he is not allowed to leave. This is because he is not for sale. But it is obvious that if someone offers that amount, we will meet our commitments, and he will leave."
The 24-year-old's availability alerted a host of Premier League clubs including Arsenal and Newcastle as well as Liverpool.
Despite recruiting three midfielders so far this summer, Kenny Dalglish is thought to be keen on adding a defensive operator in the middle of the park and has reportedly identified Matuidi as the top choice.
An offer in the region of £10m would allow the two clubs to begin negotiations but Liverpool must be prepared to match the £13.2m buy-out clause if a bidding war with PSG ensues.
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