"From what I’m told" - Fabrizio Romano pours cold water over Klopp's reported pursuit of "very good player"

Fabrizio Romano has claimed that Liverpool were never interested in signing Portuguese midfielder Vitinha over the summer, despite several reports stating the contrary.

Last season the 22-year-old established himself as an integral part of Porto’s domestic double-winning side, while he was also named the Primeira Liga Young Player of the Year.

Vitinha’s impressive form saw him earn a $41.5million (£36.2million) move to Paris Saint-Germain in June, having also been linked with Liverpool.

Vitinha has established himself as a mainstay in the PSG midfield alongside Italian maestro Marco Verrati.

The midfielder has been impressive in his 19 appearances for Christophe Galtier’s side, while Liverpool have slumped to ninth in the Premier League, in part due to a weak midfield.

Reds captain Jordan Henderson and Thiago Alcantara have suffered niggling injuries throughout the campaign, while midfield linchpin Fabinho has underwhelmed in the first 12 league games of the season.

Nevertheless, transfer guru Romano has insisted that Liverpool were never interested in Vitinha last summer. The club allegedly only had eyes for Aurelien Tchouameni and Jude Bellingham.

Speaking to Caught Offside, Romano claimed: “From what I’m told, Liverpool were never in talks to sign Vitinha. It was always PSG as Luis Campos wanted him as a priority target.

“He’s a very good player – but Liverpool wanted Tchouameni or Bellingham, no other players.”

While Liverpool missed out on Tchouameni, who instead signed for La Liga giants Real Madrid for an initial €80million (£69million), Jurgen Klopp’s side are still reported to be keen on Bellingham.

The 19-year-old, who plies his trade at Borussia Dortmund, would cost interested parties an eye-watering £130million, according to Bild.

Dortmund’s asking price is far greater than the £87million it is thought Liverpool and other Premier League sides were willing to pay.

Nevertheless, as reported by the Athletic last month, Bellingham remains the Reds’ top transfer target for the new year.