Jurgen Klopp tells Philippe Coutinho to shelve Barcelona ambitions as Liverpool refuse to sell this summer
Jurgen Klopp, the Liverpool manager, will tell Philippe Coutinho to shelve his ambition to play for Barcelona after insisting there is no prospect of a sale this summer.
Klopp is planning talks with his star player at the club’s summer tour base in Hong Kong. It follows Barca’s initial bid of £72 million, which was rejected by the club on Thursday.
Coutinho signed a five-year deal last season, and the expectation then was he would remain for a minimum of two more campaigns before pursuing a long-term goal of playing in La Liga.
The 25-year-old is settled at Anfield, but he will inevitably be honoured by Barcelona’s interest. Klopp’s man-management skills will be required to ensure the player’s mind is focused on the task ahead for Liverpool, who are not prepared to enter negotiations.
Liverpool know the issue is sure to be revisited in the short and long term but this summer their position is unambiguous. There is too much at stake as Klopp prepares for a Champions League campaign and aims to meet the expectation of not only consolidating their top-four status but challenge those above.
The size of Barcelona’s opening bid underlines how serious they are about taking Coutinho this summer, but Klopp delivered his response ahead of Saturday's Asia Cup final against Leicester City.
“Yes, you can say he is not for sale,” said Klopp. “But that’s not since this morning or yesterday, it’s not been any different. Phil is a very important player for us.
“He’s trying to get back his rhythm but there’s no doubt about his quality. He’s very smart both offensively and defensively. The nice news is that he’s still young. He has improved a lot since I’ve been here and he can still improve a lot.”
Klopp added Liverpool were not a club that sold their best players, although before his arrival a succession of world-class players, such as Luis Suarez, Javier Mascherano and Xabi Alonso, did depart following bids from the La Liga superpowers.
However, in the case of both Suarez and Mascherano, both ended up at the Nou Camp a year after telling Liverpool they wanted to leave the club.
“I’m not surprised that any club is interested in players at Liverpool,” said Klopp. “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.
“We have to create a situation where everybody is easily able to see which direction we want to go.
“It’s really positive. This is a fantastic club and it’s a good moment for Liverpool.”
Klopp’s view echoes those of the Liverpool hierarchy, who will not put a price on Coutinho’s signature this summer.
Instead, Liverpool are pressing ahead seeking to add players to their squad before their Champions League qualifier next month.
Andrew Robertson became the third signing of the summer when he completed a £10 million move from Hull on Friday.
“For Andrew, this is another big step on what has been a quite incredible personal journey in a very short space of time,” Klopp told Liverpool’s official website. “I love his story; where we has come from professionally to reach this point.
“When you speak to him, it is clear why he makes his progress. He has a burning love for playing football – he really loves the game.
“His attitude is outstanding – absolutely outstanding. His talent and skills – also very, very good.
“He has experience of this competition, the Premier League, and he has the mentality and quality to get even better.
“I know our environment will benefit him and help him push himself even more than he has already. This is a player who does not limit his ambition, I think.”
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