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Football

21st Jul 2017

Jürgen Klopp has sent Barcelona a clear message after Coutinho bid

Bloody emphatic from the German!

Simon Lloyd

Talk of a possible Neymar move to Paris Saint-Germain refuses to disappear.

Despite attempts from some Barcelona directors to play down rumours that PSG are set to trigger the Brazilian’s €222m (£197m) buy-out clause, reports continue to spring up claiming such a move could be imminent.

Inevitably, thoughts are already turning towards how Barca might spend some of the Neymar cash if he does head to the French capital.

Philippe Coutinho has long been linked with a potential move to the Camp Nou in the gossip columns. Now, according to the Daily Mail, Barca have tabled a £72m bid for the player.

Coutinho only recently agreed terms on a new five-year deal with the Anfield club. This, along with the vastly inflated transfer fees being paid by clubs this summer, has seen Liverpool reject the offer.

Despite this, the Mail report that this is unlikely to prevent further bids from Barca – who see him as the ideal replacement for Andres Iniesta. Interestingly, they also add that their move the Liverpool star has absolutely nothing to do with any potential high profile departure.

Speaking about the matter from Hong Kong, Jürgen Klopp confirmed that the player is not for sale.

“Yes [he is not for sale], but that’s not since this morning or yesterday, it’s not been any different. Phil is a very important player for us.

“I’m not surprised that any club is interested in players at Liverpool.

“The very important message is that we are not a selling club and that’s how it is.

“We believe in working together and developing together. We want to make the next step together and for this we need to stay together.”