Liverpool transfer news and rumours: Reds fail with £33.5m bid for Joao Mario; Mario Balotelli set for Turkish escape

Today's biggest transfer stories to have been printed about the Anfield club

Joao Mario joins his Portugal team in celebrating their Euro 2016 success (Getty)

With less than three weeks until the inception of perhaps the most eagerly anticipated Premier League season ever, Liverpool are stepping up their efforts to improve their squad.

Sporting Lisbon midfielder Joao Mario has reportedly been on Jurgen Klopp’s radar for some time and the German, according to The Sun, has made an offer of £33.5m for the talented Portuguese international.

The sale of Welsh maestro Joe Allen to Stoke City this week has meant Klopp must accelerate his plans if he is going to have sufficient midfield cover ahead of the opening weekend clash against Arsenal. The bad news, however, is that Lisbon seemed to have rejected their astronomical opening offer.

Elsewhere, the Reds are looking into the possibility of making a late dash to the bank to sign Real Madrid’s Jese Rodriguez but face competition from a host of Premier League clubs including Arsenal.

The 23-year-old has slipped down the pecking order at the European champions, starting just seven matches in La Liga last term, but is still considered one of the most assured midfielders on the continent.

Marca report that Klopp is monitoring his situation in the event of an opening forming before the window closes at the end of August. Former Chelsea boss Carlo Ancelotti once branded the Spaniard as an “insane talent” but is unlikely to rival Liverpool for his signature this summer.

The Mario Balotelli problem could be about to be solved, meanwhile, as Turkish champions Besiktas consider a swoop to sign the combustible Italian on the cheap in the coming weeks.

That’s according to the folks over at Gazetta World who say a loan deal has been suggested as Klopp continues his efforts to streamline his squad while on a tour of the United States this month.

The 25-year-old has been informed that he has no role to play in the former Borussia Dortmund manager’s strategy at Anfield and is being lined up as a possible replacement for Mario Gomez, the striker who elected not to agree a new loan agreement owing to the political unrest in the region.