Renowned Spanish football journalist Guillem Balague claims Liverpool remain insistent that Barcelona target Philippe Coutinho is not for sale for any price.
1. On Coutinho. No matter what the Catalan press say (48 hours, Liverpool has put a price on him, meetings soon), LFC insist: NOT FOR SALE! pic.twitter.com/iedQzWjtr1
— Guillem Balague (@GuillemBalague) August 15, 2017
The Brazilian has been heavily linked with a move to Barcelona, with this suggestion ramped up further by his omission from Liverpool’s Champions League squad before their play-off first leg tie with Hoffenheim.
Liverpool have already rejected a bid of £90m for the midfielder, per BBC Sport.
Balague, who has written biographies on Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, tweeted on Tuesday:
“On Coutinho. No matter what the Catalan press say (48 hours, Liverpool has put a price on him, meetings soon), LFC insist: NOT FOR SALE!”
He went on to dismiss suggestions Barcelona and Liverpool had made contact about Coutinho stating:
“In fact: no meetings planned with FCB, no price has been put on Coutinho, right now LFC do not want to sell.”
2. In fact: no meetings planned with FCB, no price has been put on Coutinho, right now LFC do not want to sell
— Guillem Balague (@GuillemBalague) August 15, 2017
These tweets reiterate two statements he wrote yesterday, assuring fans that the Reds stick by Fenway Sports Group’s statement that was released on Friday, per The Metro, just hours before Coutinho handed in a transfer request.
This will be seen as a step backwards in the eyes of Barcelona fans who are becoming increasingly frustrated that their club has found great difficulty in trying to find a replacement for Neymar after his big-money move to PSG earlier this month.
The Spanish football summer transfer window is set to close on 1st September.