Fernando Carro, Bayer Leverkusen’s director, has stated that Liverpool have not approached the club regarding right-back Jeremie Frimpong, despite reports suggesting that the Premier League titleholders are set to activate his release clause, estimated to be near £30m.

With Trent Alexander-Arnold expected to leave this summer, Liverpool are keen on securing Frimpong and were recently reported to be close to completing a deal for the offensive-minded defender.

According to SPORT, Frimpong has supposedly agreed to personal terms with Liverpool, often considered the most challenging aspect of transfer dealings, as his current Leverkusen contract includes a release clause. The precise amount of the clause remains a subject of debate, but it’s generally believed to range between €35m and €40m (£29.5m-£33.7m).

Once an agreement with Frimpong is complete, Liverpool would then contact Leverkusen to trigger the clause. According to Carro, there has not yet been anything to suggest that is going to happen.

“Jeremie Frimpong has a long contract with us which also has an exit clause, but we are currently unaware of any transfer,” he told sport.de.

That could all change soon, however, as The Times state Liverpool are preparing to reach out and trigger Frimpong’s clause which, per this report, sits at £30m.

Frimpong is keen to move to Anfield and he could end up being followed by midfielder Florian Wirtz after it emerged the Reds had made contact with the Germany international over a blockbuster transfer which could be worth €150m (£126.3m).

Wirtz, also a target for Manchester City, is thought to be leaning towards joining Bayern Munich and some reports have even gone as far as to suggest a deal between the two parties is done, although Carro warned fans not to believe all the speculation.

“The rumours surprised me a bit when I started in the football business seven years ago,” he said. “As I’ve gradually become more involved, there are always different interested parties, there are different parties, there are different relationships.

“It’s actually quite difficult to figure out where the rumours come from, but I have to say, there are many that really surprise me.”