Liverpool's £33.5m bid for Joao Mario rejected

Cape Town - Sporting Lisbon have rejected Liverpool's £33.5m bid for Joao Mario, according to widespread reports.

The Merseyside along with Premier League rivals Manchester United and Chelsea are chasing the 23-year-old's signature.

According to the Telegraph, Mario's father confirmed that Liverpool and Inter Milan's bid have been rejected.

"I was informed, however, that the club said no to £30m plus £8m in bonuses from Inter and to £33.5m from Liverpool," Mario's father said.

"Nothing particular has happened, my son is a professional and knows he has a contract with Sporting."

Mario recently won the European Championship with Portugal in France after shocking the host nation in the final.

The midfielder has been with Sporting since 2004 and worked his way into the first team after departing his hometown of Porto.