Liverpool’s owners have shut down Barcelona’s pursuit of
Philippe Coutinho by stating “no offers will be considered” and he will remain a Liverpool player when the window closes.
Philippe Coutinho by stating “no offers will be considered” and he will remain a Liverpool player when the window closes.
Having swiftly turned down two bids from the Catalan club for the Brazil international - the last of which totalled €100 million - Fenway Sports Group have supported Jurgen Klopp’s repeated insistence that the 25-year-old is not for sale this summer at any cost.
“We wish to offer clarity as regards to our position on a possible transfer of Philippe Coutinho,” a statement on behalf of FSG read.
“The club’s definitive stance is that no offers for Philippe will be considered and he will remain a member of Liverpool Football Club when the summer window closes.”
Reports emanating from Spain and Brazil on Tuesday suggesting a deal had been agreed between both sides for the playmaker was dismissed to Goal, with the Reds having never wavered from their position that there would be no negotiations over a transfer.
Coutinho signed a new five-year contract without a release clause in January, which emboldened Liverpool to promptly and strongly rebuff Barca’s approaches as well as the pressure from an offensive to unsettle their standout star.
The club's intention was to improve upon their foundations for 2017-18, with Klopp adamant he would not lose any of the core members of his squad this summer.
And at his press conference ahead of Liverpool's opening Premier League fixture at Watford, the manager saluted the ownership's communication over the Brazilian.
"If FSG is saying something like this, then that’s the statement. I’ve said it already a few times, but maybe it’s not been 100% clear, but now you can read it - maybe that’s the difference!," he noted.
"That’s the way it will go and there’s nothing else to say about this."
When asked if he had to keep Coutinho happy, the German revealed the fact he is unavailable for selection due to a back injury is the greater problem.
Klopp said: "I can't keep players happy - I can't keep you happy! If you are happy, you are happy. If you're not happy, you will not be happy just because I say 'be happy.'
"That's how life is. It's not about that in this moment, Phil is not available for us, and that for me is the bigger issue, that he's not able to play now."
Coutinho will not travel to Vicarage Road this weekend and is also a doubt for the first leg of Liverpool's Champions League play-off against Hoffenheim on Tuesday.
Coutinho will not travel to Vicarage Road this weekend and is also a doubt for the first leg of Liverpool's Champions League play-off against Hoffenheim on Tuesday.
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