Liverpool haven’t reached an agreement with Schalke star Joel Matip, according to the German outfit’s chairman Clemens Tonnies.
The 24-year-old is understood to have been reluctant to sign a new deal with the club, and in turn with his current contract set to expire in the summer, he has attracted significant interest.
Among the clubs interested has been Liverpool, but despite Sport Bild reporting on Wednesday that the deal to sign Matip on a free is all but done coupled with Der Westen claiming that the defender had a “positive meeting” with an English club, Tonnies has dismissed all the speculation.
“That’s a hoax,” Tonnies told Sport 1.
Further, sporting director Horst Heldt has insisted that the two parties continue to hold positive talks to find a resolution that will suit both the player and the club, and so it remains to be seen whether or not Liverpool are able to sign their target.
Matip has featured in all 18 Bundesliga games so far this season, not even missing a single minute of action as he has also contributed three goals to the team.
Schalke have ruled out selling him in the January transfer window, and so they will be desperate to agree on new terms even if it is with the intention of avoiding losing him on a free.
In turn, Liverpool will continue to monitor his situation with a view of potentially being forced to wait until the summer where they may or may not be able to sign him on a free transfer.