Sporting CP will not consider offers for Liverpool target Gelson Martins in January

Sporting CP will not negotiate the sale of Gelson Martins during the January transfer window and have not received any proposal from Liverpool for the player.

Martins, 22, is enjoying another splendid campaign with Sporting at the Estádio José Alvalade, having scored nine goals and provided eight assists with the club sat just two points off the summit of the Primeira Liga.

During last summer's transfer window, Liverpool strongly considered signing the versatile forward during a period where transfer talks with AS Roma over a deal for Mohamed Salah hit a stumbling block. Those plans fell by the wayside when the club agreed a then-club record fee for the Egypt international but recent reports have suggested that Liverpool's interest in Martins has been revived following the sale of Philippe Coutinho to Barcelona.

The departure of the Brazil international has left Jurgen Klopp to consider strengthening his attacking options during the mid-season window. Monaco and France star Thomas Lemar, who the club made at least one bid for during the summer transfer window, remains linked with a move to Anfield to fill the void, while the club have denied suggestions a deal has been struck with Leicester City to bring Riyad Mahrez to the club.

While he would unlikely be seen as a direct replacement for Coutinho, Martins has been named as a possible target for the Merseyside club this month to reinforce an attack that has lost one of its key components.

However, IBTimes UK understands Sporting has not received an offer from Merseyside and regard his transfer as "non-negotiable" during the winter window.

Martins has a release clause of €60m (£53m, $72m) written into his contract which runs until 2022 but Sporting plan to raise that to €100m, possibly before the World Cup where he could further enhance his reputation with Portugal.

Recent reports have suggested Liverpool will instead focus their efforts this January on bringing Naby Keita to the club ahead of schedule. The Guinea international is set to arrive at Anfield on 1 July after the club struck a deal with RB Leizpig during last summer's transfer window. But the Daily Telegraph report the club will explore the possibility of bringing that deal forward, hopeful that some of the cash collected from Coutinho's £142m sale can tempt Leipzig into parting with their midfielder earlier than planned.