Monaco head coach Leonardo Jardim has said that his club do not expect to sell attacker Thomas Lemar this January, but he confessed that if an astronomical offer came their way, they would be in no position to decline it.
Liverpool and Arsenal have both been linked to the France international in recent weeks, and while he wants to keep the 22-year-old as long as possible, he is aware of the financial realities of the modern game.
Monaco found themselves in a similar position with star forward Kylian Mbappe in the summer, with the young striker leaving on loan to PSG with the promise of €145 million coming their way at the end of the season.
Jardim also pointed to the example of Liverpool, who were strongarmed into selling Philippe Coutinho to Barcelona by an offer of €120m from the Catalan side.
“You know how crazy the market can be, he said. “Things can happen that even a club like Monaco can’t say no to.
“It happened at Liverpool. The figures today are very high. Everything can change very quickly. What I tell you today can be different tomorrow.
“I want to keep Lemar. If I stayed here for 10 years, I’d want Lemar to stay with me for 10 years.
“He’s young. He could play for another decade. He’s got a lot of qualities and I like him a lot.”
Jardim will take charge of his 200th game for Monaco at the weekend, when they travel to Montpellier, though he will have to do so with the injured Radamel Falcao.
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