Liverpool have reportedly made their stance clear over the protracted transfer of Phillipe Coutinho to Barcelona this summer – stating that he isn’t for sale and that the Brazilian’s transfer request has not changed their stance on the situation.
Twitter: 1. Coutinho will keep trying ‘whatever it takes’ to go to Barcelona. But Liverpool insist: he is NOT for sale. LFC… https://t.co/FYan59CddK (@GuillemBalague)
Twitter: 2. Coutinho’s transfer request does not change at this point the “definitive stance” of the club. They do not want to get rid of him (@GuillemBalague)
Barcelona have also turned their attentions to Borussia Dortmund’s young French winger Ousmane Dembele, who like Coutinho, has had his head turned by the Catalans interest as he was missing from training before being suspended indefinitely by Dortmund as a result.
Barcelona’s need for a replacement for Neymar was exacerbated by yesterday’s harrowing 3-1 loss to Real Madrid at the Camp Nou, in the first-leg of the Spanish Super Cup.
This was also not helped by the fact that Neymar put in a man of the match performance on his first start for PSG, scoring and assisting once in a comfortable 3-0 win over Guingamp.
Coutinho will not play any part against Hoffenheim on Tuesday in the crucial away leg of Liverpool’s Champions League qualifier, with the club publicly stating that he has a knack injury.
