Although it’s getting pretty obvious that Liverpool will make Burnley opinion splitter Danny Ings their first signing of what’s expected to be a busy summer, for a minute there, it looked like Stade Rennais attacker Paul-Georges Ntep was going to beat the England man in the door.
The 22-year old, who had supposedly visited Melwood twice last week ahead of a move to Merseyside, is one of the hottest properties in Ligue One and is attracting the attentions of a number of Europe’s top clubs. With 9-goals and 5-assists in 33-appearances thus far this season, it’s easy to see why the Reds would be interested in making a move for the French international, but according to everyone but the media, he’s not heading to the Northwest quite yet.
“This is a rumor and it is false. Concerning Tuesday and Thursday, we know where he was. Not in an airport or on a plane,” Rennes manager Philippe Montanier told French media outlet Sport. “I have great admiration for Liverpool and when such a club is interested in a player it does not lower itself by doing things like that. You just call the club concerned.”
Managers, of course, aren’t always the most trustworthy, but on the back of a media storm, even Ntep himself flat out denied taking the trip, putting this particular rumour to bed. “I did not go to Liverpool last week, that’s completely false,” he told J+1 in a recent interview. “I have a contract until 2017. Stade Rennais gave me my first professional contract and, for now, I am very well here.”
