Mamadou Sakho agent rejects rift between Liverpool defender and Jurgen Klopp amid Roma links

Liverpool defender Mamadou Sakho's agent has dismissed claims over a row between his client and Jurgen Klopp. Having been cleared of doping charges by Uefa in May following a 30-day mandatory suspension that ruled him out of the final eight games of 2015/16 and denied him a place in Didier Deschamps' France squad for the European Championship, the centre-back was sent home from a pre-season tour of the United States in July amid persistent issues over his poor timekeeping.

Klopp subsequently described the episode as "not that serious" and claimed he simply had to react to a lack of respect for the rules after Sakho missed the flight to the US and was subsequently late for a training session and a team meal. The manager's irritation was also evident after he was interrupted during an LFC TV interview that took place on a trip to Alcatraz.

Sakho is almost certain to miss the start of the new Premier League campaign with an achilles injury, yet that has not stopped transfer speculation suggesting that the player could be set to leave Liverpool.

Rome-based Italian sports newspaper Corriere dello Sport suggested over the weekend that he could be a loan target for Roma, who recently saw new signing Mario Rui sustain a knee problem just weeks after his move from Serie A rivals Empoli. Kostas Manolas' representative has also claimed that the highly-rated Greek defender is attracting interest from Manchester City, Manchester United and Chelsea.

Refuting that speculation, Niakate Housseyni told LaRoma24.it: "No, I haven't had any contact with Roma. He didn't have an argument with his manager, Jurgen Klopp. So he'll stay at Liverpool? Yes, he's a Liverpool player. I don't think Roma have that opportunity right now."

If Roma were indeed considering an imminent approach to land Sakho, then Tuesday (2 August) would be a perfect time to discuss it as the Giallorossi face Liverpool in a pre-season friendly clash at Busch Stadium in St Louis, Missouri. Klopp has signed two centre-backs already this summer in the form of experienced Bundesliga duo Joel Matip and Ragnar Klavan, while allowing Martin Skrtel to depart after an eight-and-a-half year stint for Turkish side Fenerbahce.

Joe Gomez has sadly suffered a setback in his recovery from a ruptured cruciate ligament and is facing yet more time spent on the sidelines.