Speculation has been rife for months that Barcelona will make a move for Liverpool talisman Philippe Coutinho this summer, but the Reds are expected to resist any offers for the Brazilian as the club plans to keep their best players while building for the future.
“When did he sign his new contract? So that would be a nice idea [to sell him]. With a £400m clause,” said Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp, joking with the press when asked about the rumoured interest from Catalonia. “There are absolutely no plans. What our owners say is there is the absolute opportunity not to sell anybody if we do not want to,” added the German, confirming that the desire to keep Coutinho at Anfield goes all the way up the chain. “That means we can bring in others players and it is a good situation.”
For his part publicly, the Brazilian attacker has done nothing to hint that he’s agitating for a move to Spain and has continually expressed his desire to stay on Merseyside and win trophies. Putting pen to paper on a brand new, big money, long-term deal earlier in the season, Coutinho showed his commitment to the cause — though the draw of the Nou Camp and playing for one of the biggest sides in world football has its undeniable appeal. Former Liverpool man Luis Suarez was in a similar situation having been made the club’s highest ever paid player before upping stakes and moving to the La Liga giants, but he had previously tried to engineer a move to Arsenal the summer before only to have that move outright denied by the Reds hierarchy.
“I just want to say thank-you to everyone,” said the Brazilian, the guest of honour at a Liverpool Former Players Association gala dinner. “I am really proud to be voted for this award by Liverpool’s former players,” continued Coutinho, who picked up the prestigious 5Times Player of the Year award. “I know they won a lot of things with this club and I hope that one day I can do the same.”
