Liverpool facing race against time to land Monaco forward Thomas Lemar as French club consider £74m bid

• e-mail

Liverpool face a race against time to land Thomas Lemar and could have as little as 24 hours to wrap up a club record deal.

Jurgen Klopp wants to sign the Monaco forward and he is eager to work under the German in the Premier League but the clock is against Liverpool, who have been in discussions with the French champions in an attempt to secure Lemar's release.

They have mapped out a proposal that would see them pay £74million and they could use Divock Origi as a makeweight in the deal; the Belgium striker is surplus to requirements at Anfield but Liverpool do not want to sell him to Premier League rivals, which rules out Tottenham.

Liverpool are not backing down in their pursuit of signing Monaco forward Thomas Lemar

The Reds could have as little as 24 hours to wrap up a club-record deal for the Frenchman

It is clear Liverpool are prepared to shatter their transfer record once more after completing a £55million deal for Naby Keita but their cause is not being helped by the fact Lemar will be involved in France's squad for their World Cup qualifier against Holland on Thursday night.

The implication, then, is that Liverpool would not be able to conduct a medical in the final hours before the deadline and they will have to move quickly – or make the decision to switch their sights on Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain.

Liverpool, who are also desperate to sign Virgil Van Dijk, have tracked Oxlade-Chamberlain all summer but the sticking point is whether Arsenal would be prepared to sell the England international to a direct rival.

Keita's switch from RB Leipzig was rubberstamped on Tuesday. He will move to Liverpool in the summer of 2018 and is delighted that he has the opportunity to test himself in the Premier League.

'My commitment to RBL remains absolute for the remainder of my time at the club,' said Keita. 'I have given my all every time I have worn the shirt – that will be the case until the final whistle, in my final appearance.'

Jurgen Klopp wants to sign the Monaco forward, who is eager to work under the German

Divock Origi would be allowed to join the Ligue 1 champions on loan for this season