Liverpool are willing to pay Real Madrid winger Marco Asensio €6m a year (£99,000 a week) after tax, which is an offer that rivals AC Milan can’t compete with, according to reports in Italy.

The Spaniard has a year left on his contract at the Bernabeu and he has been regularly linked with a move to Merseyside over the past couple of months.

Arsenal and Manchester United have also been mentioned as potential suitors for Asensio but Milan are seemingly the biggest challengers for the player’s signature.

At the moment, though, they are not in a position to meet Asensio’s wage demands, unlike Liverpool, while they are also struggling to match Real’s €40m (£34m) asking price.

It does mean that Liverpool are the leading contenders to sign the 26-year-old, although it should be pointed out that transfer expert Fabrizio Romano has played down the Reds’ interest, stating he may only be an option later on in the summer.