Liverpool are not chasing a deal to bring Barcelona attacker Ousmane Dembele to the club.

The Frenchman has been regularly linked with a switch to Anfield after manager Jurgen Klopp attempted to beat former club Borussia Dortmund to his signature back in 2016.

But the Bundesliga outfit were able to convince the young forward that his future was best served with them and he signed for them from Ligue 1 club Rennes.

He only spent one season with Dortmund before being snapped up by Spanish giants Barcelona in a deal worth a reported £125m – but things haven’t been easy for him at the Camp Nou.

And that seen much speculation that Klopp could look to finally land Dembele in January, with the prospect of a loan deal being talked up by plenty of journalists.

However, Echo writer James Pearce has moved to quash the talk that the Reds boss could launch another move to try and land Dembele when the transfer window opens in the new year.

“Liverpool have no intention of launching a bid for Barcelona forward Ousmane Dembele in January.” he wrote.

There have been claims that Klopp would launch an £85m bid in January, but that looks to have been ruled out with this news.

Liverpool defender Joel Matip is a transfer target for new Fulham boss Claudio Ranieri.

The Cameroon international has fallen down the pecking order at Anfield after the arrival of Virgil Van Dijk, who is the world’s most expensive defender, and the emergence of Joe Gomez at centre-back.

Turkish outlet A Spor are reporting that SuperLig club Fenerbahce are already preparing a bid to sign the former Schalke man when the transfer window opens in the new year.

But they could see that prospect dashed by newly-appointed Fulham manager Ranieri, who took over from Slavisa Jokanovic this week, as he looks to reshape the squad he has inherited.

The Craven Cottage club are rock bottom of the Premier League table following their return to the top flight earlier this year and have already shipped thirty-one goals.

Former Chelsea and Leicester City boss Ranieri is likely to want to bring in some defensive reinforcements and Matip could well fit the bill given his lack of opportunities at Anfield.

He scored a goal against Southampton in a rare start earlier this season, but was disappointing in the 2-0 loss against Red Star Belgrade in the Champions League last week.

Letting him move on in January could be a bad move, however, given that it would leave manager Jurgen Klopp with just three senior central defenders in his squad.

Former Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard has said his slip against Chelsea was “pure bad luck”.

The Rangers manager, who spent almost all of his playing career at Anfield, fell over while in possession during the crucial game back in April 2014.

Had the Reds won that game, it is likely that Gerrard would have been lifting the Premier League trophy the following month instead of Manchester City captain Vincent Kompany.

And the ex-England skipper has revealed that he was suffering with back pain at the time and needed to have pain-reducing injections to get him through the game – but he has refused to use that as an excuse.

“Don’t think that is an excuse.” he told The Daily Mail.

“What happened was just pure bad luck.

“But, when you do a book or film, especially with people who have won Oscars and made films such as Amy [Winehouse] and Senna, you must be as honest and open as you can.” he added.

Borussia Dortmund midfielder Christian Pulisic has said that it is his “dream” to play in the Premier League.

The United States international, who is regularly linked with a move to Anfield, was speaking to reporters this week as he prepares to take on England at Wembley on Thursday evening.

“England, the Premier League, is a league where lots of kids dream of playing so there is no reason why maybe one day I won’t play here.” he said.

“As you can see, we are having a great year at Dortmund and I am enjoying every moment of that.

“Then when the time comes for me to talk in the breaks about my future, then that’s when those things happen.

“Like I said before, reading these articles, I tend to stay away from that stuff.

“I know it is going to be there but it is not my priority.” he finished.

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp is very familiar with Pulisic and is reported to have made a bid to bring him to the club in the past and is regularly linked with a fresh move.

The young attacker stating his desire to play in England is only going to get the hopes up of supporters who want to see him finally follow the German over to Merseyside.

Ajax defender Matthijs de Ligt is “on the list” of players Liverpool are interested in bringing to the club.

That’s the opinion of Reds centre-back Virgil Van Dijk – who is currently on international duty with the highly-rated nineteen year old.

“He is already very far, especially at that age.” he told De Telegraaf.

“A good defender, good boy, calm, knows what he wants and hopefully he makes the right choice in his next step.

“He will be on the list because they have enough scouts at the club.

“If they need my opinion at Liverpool, I’ll give it.” he added.

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp made Van Dijk the most expensive defender in the game when he sanctioned a £75m deal to bring him to Anfield from Premier League side Southampton almost a year ago.

And the twenty-seven year old reckons that de Ligt is likely to cost the club less than he did if he is signed.

“They will pay less for Matthijs!” he continued.

“The amount for me was very high though.

“It’s just like that and, if he ever becomes the most expensive defender, I’ll be the first to congratulate him.” he finished.

Liverpool supporters will be hopeful that the exciting teenager could be a potential target for the club, but the form of Joe Gomez could mean that no bid is necessary.

Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson Becker has spoken about the pressures he faces at the club.

The Brazil international arrived at Anfield in the Summer for what was a world record fee for a goalkeeper at the time following an impressive season with AS Roma.

He has made a couple of mistakes here and there since claiming the number one spot in the side, but has generally been an excellent addition to Jurgen Klopp’s side.

But the twenty-six year old has said that he feels that some people are placing unrealistic expectations on his shoulders thanks to the price paid for his services.

“I came here for a high price and some people expect to me to be perfect.” he said.

“It’s not easy, but I’m trying.

“It’s too early to say if I’m satisfied with how I’m playing, but I’m working to be perfect, I’m working to be better.

“I’m really, really happy with my move to the Premier League.

“I’m working really hard to help Liverpool to achieve their goals and also for the Brazil national team.” he finished.

Liverpool midfielder Xherdan Shaqiri has expressed his joy at having the support of the fans.

The former Basel man scored his second goal since his arrival at the club in the Summer as another three points were collected in the 2-0 victory over Fulham on Sunday.

And he has explained just how much it means to him to receive the backing of the Anfield faithful.

“It’s always nice when you get a standing ovation and the people are behind you.” he said.

“We have amazing fans and I scored again in front of the Kop so it was a nice feeling. It was a nice goal.

“A good cross obviously from Robbo and it was a nice finish. I’m very pleased that I scored.

“It’s always better if you’ve got better players around you. You can be more offensive if you know that you are for sure going to have more possession than the opponent.

“I played in Bayern Munich with Franck Ribery and Arjen Robben so it’s nothing new for me. I knew already how good these very talented players are.

“We have a very good team, a young team, so our process is going very well and I’m just proud to be part of this team. I try to give good performances and pay the coach and the fans back.

“You need to be ready to train hard every day.

“I’m feeling good, I’m fit, and I’m trying to give my best every time I get a chance.” he finished.

Shaqiri will be aiming to cement his place in the Liverpool side after impressing in his recent Anfield appearances against Cardiff City and Fulham – with goals coming in both games.

He came off the bench as a second half substitute in the 1-1 draw with Arsenal and was left on Merseyside for political reasons when the squad travelled to Serbia for the loss against Red Star Belgrade last week.

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has said he wants Xherdan Shaqiri to keep on improving.

The Switzerland international scored his second goal for the club since his arrival from relegated Stoke City in the Summer as the team beat bottom of the table Fulham 2-0 at Anfield on Sunday.

And Klopp has said that the former Bayern Munich and Inter Milan man has already surpassed expectations – but he wants to see him live up to his potential.

“Yeah, or even more. What can I say?” Klopp said to Liverpoolfc.com when asked how Shaqiri had measured up so far.

“He’s just a fantastic boy on top, that’s really good, and he knows that he has so much potential still to improve.

“But of course he’s the guy for decisive moments, that’s how it is, and we have to make sure that it stays like this.

“Another really good performance and a fantastic goal on top, so it’s really cool.” he added.

Shaqiri will be hoping to keep his place in the side following the international break.

Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson Becker has said that the defence in front of him have helped him to settle.

The Brazil international arrived at Anfield, in what was a world record deal at the time, in the Summer from AS Roma after impressing for the Serie A club last season.

Despite a couple of errors against Leicester City and Arsenal, he has settled in to the side very well and has kept eight clean sheets in his sixteen appearances for the club so far.

And he feels that the defensive unit playing in front of him in Jurgen Klopp’s side deserve much of the credit for his almost seamless transition into Premier League football.

“The Premier League has great intensity, you have to be really focused all the time.” he said.

“One thing that is important here is the concentration and focus. They are asking me to be really mentally strong.

“My team have a really great defence so it is not often the ball comes near my net.

“But I have one or two opportunities to show my quality, so I need to be focused all the time.” he finished.

Alisson is currently on international duty with Brazil.

Bets on Liverpool striker Daniel Sturridge joining West Bromwich Albion are part of the Football Association investigation, according to a report by James Pearce of the Echo.

The England international has been given a misconduct charge relating to alleged breaches of betting rules around his loan move to the Midlands club back in January.

Sturridge has denied every gambling on football since the charge was brought against him, but could face a ban or fine if he’s found to have passed on information to others for them to bet on.

Italian giants Inter Milan were reported to be leading the race to complete a loan deal with Liverpool in order to take him to the San Siro for the rest of the 2017/18 campaign.

But odds, with bookmaker Paddy Power, dropped from 66/1 to 5/2 in less than twenty-four hours – and Sturridge made a move to The Hawthorns the following day.

He spent the rest of the campaign with the Baggies as they ultimately ended up being relegated from the Premier League to the Championship – with Sturridge failing to find the net in an injury hit spell.

A return to Anfield followed and he has since gone about trying to rebuild his career with the club, along with his fitness.