Liverpool's bid for Poland midfielder Piotr Zielinski has been rejected by Udinese.

And in another blow to the Reds' summer transfer plans, hopes of landing Borussia Moenchengladbach star Mahmoud Dahoud in this window appear to be fading too.

An offer of around 14m Euros (£11.75m) was submitted for Zielinski last month, but has been refused by the Serie A side, who have accepted an identical bid for the 22-year-old from Napoli.

Zielinski has made it clear that Liverpool is his preferred destination, but negotiations will need to continue if he is to get his dream move. He has two years remaining on his contract, and is understood to have made it clear that he has no desire to move to Napoli.

For Liverpool, the impasse is frustrating, especially with their bid to sign Gladbach midfielder Dahoud also running into difficulty.

The Reds have registered their interest in the 20-year-old, and would be willing to pay in excess of £25m to land him. But Gladbach's reluctance to sell having already offloaded key players Granit Xhaka and Havard Nordveit this summer means a transfer during this window is now considered unlikely.

Reports in Germany this weekend suggest Dahoud, a Syria-born German U21 international, is reluctant to extend his contract with the Bundesliga side beyond 2018. Borussia Dortmund, who have just sold Henrikh Mkhitaryan to Manchester United, are also understood to be keen on the player.

Source: Liverpool Echo

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