Liverpool Transfer News: Latest on Islam Slimani and Piotr Zielinski Rumours

Liverpool have reportedly seen a £20 million bid for Islam Slimani turned down by Sporting Lisbon, who will only accept offers that match his £24 million release clause.

That's according to Paulo Jorge Rocha of Portuguese outlet Noticias ao Minuto (h/t the Daily Star's Jonathan Green), who noted the release clause expires at the end of June.

Per Portuguese football writer Jan Hagen, Sporting president Bruno de Carvalho has been firm in his stance for some time with regard to keeping his best players:

Slimani is undoubtedly one of them. The Algeria international netted 30 goals for Sporting last season, his 27 league strikes almost firing them to the Liga NOS title.

Here are some of the prolific forward's highlights:

Per Rocha (h/t Green), the 27-year-old has also attracted interest from Premier League rivals Arsenal, Tottenham Hotspur and Leicester City.

Sporting boss Jorge Jesus believes the striker would thrive in the English top flight, per GianlucaDiMarzio.com (h/t Marca): "[Jamie] Vardy was this year's revelation. People say that Slimani wouldn't be able to play for Leicester, but I disagree. In England, if he is guided by a manager who knows a lot about football, he can score double the goals Vardy does."

If the Reds are only £4 million short of matching his release clause, it's unlikely they'll haggle over the difference. They should act quickly if they want him, though, or Sporting will likely demand far more once his release clause expires.

Meanwhile, Liverpool have received a boost in their pursuit of Udinese midfielder Piotr Zielinski after his agent ruled out a move to rival club Napoli.

Gabriele Maltinti/Getty Images

According to Radio Crc (h/t Green), the Reds have made a £9.5 million offer and Napoli are also hot on his heels, but the player's agent Bartlomiej Bolek said he won't be joining the Partenopei: "To be honest, there is no chance that the player can go to Napoli."

The 22-year-old is a promising box-to-box midfielder who stood out on loan at Empoli last year. According to Squawka, he helped his side regain possession with 54 successful tackles and 49 interceptions. Going forward he completed 89 take-ons and created 52 chances, scoring five and assisting four goals.

DiMarzio's David Amoyal is an admirer:

Further, per Sky Sports' Fabrizio Romano, it seems the youngster is wholly in favour of a move to Anfield:

With the player evidently keen on joining Liverpool, and the Reds having room for more valuable competition in the centre, it seems likely they'll be able to secure the Pole.

He is currently on international duty with Poland, though, so it may have to wait until after the UEFA European Championship.