Liverpool Reject Second Barcelona Bid ($118M) For Philippe Coutinho

Liverpool have rejected Barcelona’s second offer for Philippe Coutinho, a bid reportedly worth 100 million euros ($118 million) and that includes 15 million euros in add-ons.

Barcelona’s second offer for Philippe Coutinho news

Barcelona initially offered 80 million euros ($94 million) for the 25-year-old Brazilian midfielder last month, but was turned down by the English club.

Jürgen Klopp has repeatedly said Coutinho is not up for sale, and added last week that Liverpool’s decision is final.

“From a financial standpoint, there is no price limit to let him go or a price that we are ready to give in,” said Klopp. “Our goal is to have the best possible team. So we want to keep our guys and add new ones. That is our plan.”

“Liverpool is not a club that has to sell players. That is set in stone. So what they pay in the end doesn’t matter.”

The German manager spoke to Coutinho in Hong Kong in July after Barca first expressed interest in him and stressed the forward’s vital role at Anfield.

That conversation, nevertheless, occurred before the Catalan club lost star Brazilian forward Neymar to Paris Saint-Germain for a world-record transfer fee of 220 million euros ($260 million).

“Today, no player on the planet is unsellable,” Klopp also said. “But a transfer is also a question of timing and if you have the opportunity and the need to react to such a transfer.”

“Also you have to ask, if you have the time to react. But just because of one request of one club, we don’t have to think about that. We are not in that situation.”

Coutinho signed a five-year contract with Liverpool in January, a deal that includes no release clause. The Brazilian came to Anfield from Inter Milan in 2013.

Last season, Coutinho scored 14 goals and sat out six weeks with an ankle injury.

Coutinho will likely miss Liverpool’s Premier League opener at Watford on Saturday after missing training again on Wednesday with a back injury.

The Reds midfielder has not trained since the club returned from a training camp in Germany last week.

Barcelona also had an offer to another club rejected this week: German club Borussia Dortmund turned down the Spanish team’s 100 million euro bid for 20-year-old French forward Ousmane Dembélé on Thursday.

WATFORD, ENGLAND – MAY 01: Philippe Coutinho of Liverpool goes down injured during the Premier League match between Watford and Liverpool at Vicarage Road on May 1, 2017 in Watford, England. (Photo by Dan Mullan/Getty Images)