Liverpool have abandoned interest in signing Chelsea left-back Ryan Bertrand, according to Goal.com.

The report claims the Anfield club approached the west London side about a transfer for the 23-year-old but beat a swift retreat after the England international demanded £60,000 per week. The youngster earns £35,000 per week at present and is contracted to his club until 2017.

Ryan Bertrand
Reuters

Brendan Rodgers' interest in the Stamford Bridge youth product was revealed earlier this month, after news of a double bid for Ajax's Christian Eriksen and Toby Alderweireld. The Mirror claimed the former Swansea City manager would bid a combined £22m for the 21-year-old Danish international and 24-year-old Belgian.

The Merseyside club need reinforcements on the left hand side of their defence, with Spaniard Jose Enrique the only natural player in that position. Enrique made 35 appearances, across all competitions, for Liverpool last season, scoring two goals and creating four others. The 27-year-old former Newcastle United player will likely remain first choice under Rodgers, with the new arrival, if there is one, to start his Liverpool career as back-up.

Meanwhile, Bertrand made 38 appearances in all competitions last season and has swiftly established himself as one of the more important squad players in west London. His ability to play in more advanced roles on the left flank is one of the major reasons why the Europa League champions rate him highly.

This setback will mean Rodgers will now shift his attention to other targets, having already failed to convince Valencia left-back Aly Cissokho to swap the Mestalla for Anfield.

The 25-year-old French defender moved to La Liga last summer but it was thought that financial problems for the Spanish club could force them to sell, with talkSPORT reporting on a possible £7m bid.

However, ESPN quoted the player as saying he wished to remain with his present club, even though there were money problems, saying, "Every player at the club is subject to speculation given the financial situation. I've had possibilities, that's true, but I'm happy here."

And the summer transfer market, after a promising start, is beginning to sour for Liverpool. Another left-back target - Lucas Digne - has also been stolen. The Mirror reported of interest in the 20-year-old French defender but he has since left Lille for Ligue 1 champions Paris St Germain (PSG).

Rodgers has overseen the arrival of four new players so far, with Belgium goalkeeper Simon Mignolet, Spaniards Iago Aspas and Luis Alberto and Ivory Coast international Kolo Toure the arrivals. Reports say Spain international goalkeeper Pepe Reina will relinquish his No 1 status at Anfield and move to join former boss Rafael Benitez at Serie A club Napoli, on a season-long loan.

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