Tour time, however, has now been cancelled by Slot and his staff, with Liverpool’s schedule in Hong Kong on their current tour set to local time. The decision is believed to have gone down well with the players as they adjust to both the timezone difference and the arduous training sessions in searing Far East temperatures.

A source has told BBC Sport that Liverpool are still interested in signing the 25-year-old, despite signing Eintracht Frankfurt striker Hugo Ekitike for an initial £69m.