Liverpool have insisted that they haven’t received a transfer request from Philippe Coutinho, despite reports suggesting otherwise.
Sky Sports reported that the 25-year-old had issued the club with an official transfer request just hours after the owners had issued a statement insisting that he was not for sale.
Naturally, that would have sparked the worst fears for Liverpool supporters, many of whom are desperate to see the Brazilian playmaker remain at Anfield for the foreseeable future.
However, Sky Sports also ran with quotes from a ‘close family member’ of Coutinho’s to suggest that he really is keen on leaving the Merseyside giants.
“Philippe has tried very hard to find an amicable solution to this situation but to no avail.
“He has tremendous love for the club and its fans, but like Steven Gerrard and Luis Suarez have pointed out in the past, Liverpool does not let its players leave on amicable terms.”
It’s added in their report that Barcelona are ready to increase their offer to £110m, but while Liverpool’s stance hasn’t changed all summer, if Coutinho has indeed handed in a transfer request then that will surely change the situation.
Meanwhile, the Liverpool Echo note that the club insist that they haven’t received a transfer request from Coutinho and reject reports stating otherwise.
It comes after Jurgen Klopp praised FSG for their stance on the matter, but now it looks as though uncertainty is the order of the day as it remains to be seen what is the truth behind the Coutinho situation with Barcelona still waiting to pounce.
UPDATE
Liverpool Echo reporter James Pearce has now confirmed that Coutinho wants to leave the club, as per the tweet below, which coupled with earlier claims from Sky Sports would suggest that the Brazilian is now looking to push through an exit to join Barcelona.
Whether that means Liverpool will now do business remains to be seen, but they’ll surely want to avoid keeping a player against his will at the club which may not be wise for all parties concerned.
Coutinho has now informed #LFC that he wants to leave
— James Pearce (@JamesPearceEcho) August 11, 2017