Liverpool rocked as Chinese Super League side prepare £38m bid for Teixeira

LIVERPOOL have been joined by Guangzhou Evergrande in the race for Alex Teixeira, according to reports.

Posted Wednesday, February 03, 2016 by Express.co.uk

The Reds were close to completing a deal for the Shakhtar Donetsk midfielder last month when chief executive Ian Ayre flew out to the USA to complete a £25million deal.

But the move fell through when the Ukrainian side demanded a fee of £38m, before upping it to £53m.

Liverpool will likely try again in the summer to lure the Brazilian to Anfield, but they now face competition from Guangzhou Evergrande.

According to Italian publication Calciomercato, the Chinese Super League side are preparing a 50m euros (£38m) bid for the 26-year-old.

Jurgen Klopp recently defended the club’s decision not to push through a hefty deal for Teixeira in January.

''It’s very important that yes, you can trust us,” Klopp said.

''It was absolutely a common decision (on Teixeira). We said we can’t play this game until the end.

''We made offers. I won’t say too much about that, but they were realistic, absolutely, with the pluses of it being January, the Premier League, all the pluses you have when you make negotiations with other clubs.

''But it was a case of ‘if you don’t want it okay, we can’t change the situation, do what you want’. It’s important for now and for the future.

''It’s not that we haven’t got money or anything, but you have to work respectfully and responsibly.”