Nice midfielder Khephren Thuram opens up on Liverpool transfer rumours

Jurgen Klopp's side were credited with an interest in a plethora of midfielders in the summer when the German boss oversaw a major midfield reshuffle of his squad.

While Jordan Henderson, Fabinho, Naby Keita, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and James Milner all departed the club, Dominik Szoboszlai, Alexis Mac Allister, Ryan Gravenberch and Wataru Endo were all signed by the Reds on permanent deals.

A proposed move for Thuram to Anfield failed to bear fruit, but Liverpool are still thought to hold an interest in the highly-rated Frenchman, who has also been linked with Tottenham Hotspur and Juventus.

Speaking at a press conference on Wednesday ahead of Nice's Ligue 1 clash with Montpellier on Friday, Thuram acknowledged the summer speculation surrounding his future, but insisted that he had his heart set on remaining with the Ligue 1 club for the 2023-24 campaign.

"I think I've started the season well," the 22-year-old told reporters as quoted by Get French Football News. "The team has of course had a very good start to the season.

"I have developed aspects of my game. Regarding what happened in the transfer window, I decided to stay.

"I wanted to continue to progress at Nice, and progress as a player at this club. Honestly, it made me happy to be linked to all these clubs left, right and centre.

"It shows I'm doing the right things but as I said, I knew I wanted to stay here."

Thuram, the brother of Inter Milan's Marcus Thuram and son of former France international Lilian Thuram, began his senior career with Monaco and made just three appearances before moving to Nice in 2019 on a free transfer.

The 6ft 4in midfielder, who primarily operates in a deep-lying role, has since developed into one of the best midfielders in Ligue 1 and has become an integral player for Nice, contributing with eight goals and 11 assists in 147 appearances across all competitions.

Thuram has already featured nine times for Nice in Ligue 1 this season, helping Francesco Farioli's side climb to the top of the table following an impressive unbeaten start.

The one-cap France international is under contract at Nice until the summer of 2025 and is allegedly valued in the region of €40m (£34.9m).