Liverpool is not planning a last-ditch bid to sign Porto midfielder Alan Varela, amid claims that the Reds made a formal offer for his services.

According to Spanish journalist Luis Fregossi, the Reds originally considered pursuing Varela and enquired about his availability in April. The 23-year-old has a $72 million release clause (£55 million/€65 million) and has sparked strong interest from several teams.

On Thursday, rumours of a Liverpool-Varela partnership resurfaced, with some claiming a formal offer was on the table for the Porto skipper. But the Athletic

Argentine journalist Cesar Luis Merlo had a similar attitude, reporting that Porto notified Liverpool that Varela was not for sale. The Portuguese club designated him “non-transferrable” and plans to improve his contract, which is slated to expire in 2028.

Given Arne Slot’s need for a defensive midfielder, acquiring Varela would make a lot of sense. The Argentine dazzled with Porto in his first season in Europe after leaving Boca Juniors, excelling against Arsenal in the Champions League and garnering comparisons to former Liverpool player Javier Mascherano.

Varela scored two goals and added three assists in 30 games last season, 28 of which he started. So far this season, he has started all three Porto Superliga games.

Alan Varela has started all three games for Porto this season (Image: Getty Images).
Liverpool has missed out on a defensive midfielder before in this year’s transfer window. The Reds’ major summer transfer target, Real Sociedad’s Martin Zubimendi, turned down a move to Liverpool many weeks ago.

Despite missing out on Varela, Liverpool has been busy lately. The Reds signed winger Frederico Chiesa from Juventus for a reputed €12 million ($13.3 million) plus €3 million in add-ons. 

Liverpool also bought Giorgi Mamardashvili from Valencia for around £29 million, but the custodian will not join Anfield until next summer after remaining with the La Liga club this season.