Liverpool round-up: Real Madrid reject Marco Asensio bid; Jurgen Klopp reacts to Crystal Palace defeat; Eupen’s Henry Onyekuru scouted

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Spanish newspaper AS have confirmed rumours that Real Madrid rejected a bid worth £42 million from Liverpool for midfielder Marco Asensio. The 21-year-old has largely been limited to a role from the bench for the current Champions League holders, but is tipped to be a bright talent in the future after a number of loan spells in La Liga.

Versatile and capable of playing on either wing or as an attacking midfielder, Asensio has scored nine goals and recorded three assists despite starting only 16 games this season and it now seems unlikely that Madrid would allow him to leave for any fee after rejecting such a large bid in the summer.

Asensio’s talents would certainly have been welcomed on Sunday though as Liverpool crashed to a 2-1 home defeat to Crystal Palace with Christian Benteke twice scoring against his former club. Jurgen Klopp reacted after the game as he told the press, as quoted by the club website:

“I spoke to the boys after the game and told them that yes, it feels frustrating, it’s disappointing, we made these mistakes – that’s all true and we have to feel it today because that’s how defeats are. But they make sense, defeats always make sense. You don’t like it but there’s a reason for them – not only what you did in the game, but also how you react after the game.

“We have tomorrow morning’s training [session] and then one-and-a-half days to recover from this – and we will. Then, there is one month to go; one wonderful football month with four games, so we will not give up. 100 per cent not.”

The result now means that the Reds are no longer in control of whether they will qualify for the Champions League via a top four finish owing to Manchester United and Manchester City’s game in hands, and they must now hope for the best with four games left for them to play.

Regardless of which competition they are in next season, it seems that European football will return to Anfield and more depth will be needed, and the Daily Mail claim that Liverpool are one of several Premier League clubs to be monitoring Eupen striker Henry Onyekuru with an eye to a £6 million move.

The 19-year-old, who usually plays on the left of a front three, has scored 19 goals and recorded seven assists in 35 matches so far this campaign, which has caught the eye of the likes of Southampton and Bournemouth, as well as the Reds.

Featured Image: All rights reserved by Querido Chamartin.