Liverpool refute Barcelona claims of £183m Philippe Coutinho price tag
Liverpool deny Barcelona's claim the Reds put a £183m price tag on Philippe Coutinho, Sky sources understand.
Sky Sports News has been told Liverpool's stance
that Coutinho was not for sale did not change at any point during the
transfer window, and Barcelona wereaware of this.
After weeks of offers, yesterday Liverpool wanted €200m for one player. We won't put the club at risk.
Barcelona director Albert Soler on Coutinho
The Spanish club failed with three bids for the Brazil international - the final offer being worth up to £118m - as they attempted to secure a replacement for Neymar, who departed for Paris Saint-Germain in a world-record £200m transfer.
"On
Friday, after weeks of offers and talks, Liverpool put a price on the
player that we wanted [Coutinho]," Soler said in a media conference,
alongside sporting director Robert Fernandez, on Saturday."A price of €200m (£183m) and we decided we wouldn't do it."
Coutinho, who handed in a transfer request at Liverpool, is yet to feature for the Reds this season due to a back injury, but scored while playing for Brazil in the 1-0 win over Ecuador in their World Cup qualifier on Thursday.
The 25-year-old, who signed a new five-year contract at Liverpool in January, is expected to play for Brazil in their next qualifier against Colombia on Tuesday.
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