Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp clarifies the meaning of 'not available to be sold' to Barcelona over Philippe Coutinho chase
The Catalan club have already had a £72m bid rejected but are preparing a second one
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Jurgen Klopp has delivered a firm message to Barcelona in their pursuit of Philippe Coutinho by insisting that Liverpool are not “a selling club”.
The Catalan club have already had a £72m bid for the Brazilian rejected but are expected to continue their chase as Coutinho’s countryman Neymar inches closer to a move to Paris Saint-Germain this week.
And Coutinho himself is open to the move despite signing a new five-year contract earlier this year, after The Independent revealed last week that the 25-year-old’s camp was “70 per cent” sure that the move would go ahead.
“If you say he is not available to be sold, where is the interpretation?” Klopp reiterated on Monday.
“The word 'not' means there is no interpretation. There is nothing new.”
Klopp has also previously spoken about how Coutinho “loves the club and feels comfortable”, but Barcelona president Josep Bartomeu insisted that there would be new arrivals at the Nou Camp this summer.
“He's a Liverpool player and I have a lot of respect for Liverpool,” he told ESPN of Coutinho. “What we do in the summer is to be very discreet about everything, so we cannot confirm or deny anything.
Bartomeu went on to add that there will be more new arrivals at Barcelona this summer, confirming: “More payers will come, one in midfield, definitely.”
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments