Bundesliga expert Lee Price says a deal for Dembele to leave Borussia Dortmund has been done and it has had a significant knock-on effect on Liverpool.
Jürgen Klopp has reiterated that the decision over Philippe Coutinho’s future is down to the Liverpool owners, not him.
Coutinho will not play in the first leg of Liverpool’s Champions League playoff tie at Hoffenheim according to Manager, Klopp on Tuesday as he is suffering from a back complaint, but uncertainty over the Brazilian’s future has still dominated the build-up.
Last Friday, Liverpool issued a strongly-worded statement insisting Coutinho would not be sold this summer, only for the player to submit a transfer request in a bid to force through a move to Barcelona.
Klopp said after Saturday’s 3-3 draw with Watford that any decision on Coutinho would be made by his “bosses” and though he was willing to answer questions regarding the 25-year-old, he reiterated his stance.
“It is not that I don’t want to speak, it is that I can’t change my answers,” Klopp said.
I am 100 per cent, really, 100 per cent – I don’t ask for things I can’t get and I respect the rules in the game. If they say they will bid whatever, we don’t want it, then it is a clear message.
“We don’t want money, we want to invest in the team and have the best team because we have our aims and dreams. That is the message. So whatever I think on this is not important. It’s not important what I think.
“I have the player from the 31 August latest, again, or when the back issue is sorted. There is nothing else I can say about it. I think I said ‘I have bosses’ right? I have many bosses, including my wife. I can live with this, it’s no problem. They are 100 per cent clear on it, there is nothing else to say.”
As well as Coutinho, Daniel Sturridge was also left at home for Tuesday’s play-off while he recovers from a hamstring injury, but Klopp believes the striker could return for Saturday’s Premier League meeting with Crystal Palace.
“Sturridge is in a good way, he was really close [to being available],” Klopp said. “Two more sessions and he will be ready for the weekend
Philippe Coutinho has been left out of the Liverpool squad that will travel to Germany on Monday ahead of their Champions League play-off first leg against Hoffenheim, with the midfielder’s future growing increasingly uncertain by the day.
The Reds have again told the Catalan giants that Coutinho is not for sale at any price.
Barcelona have now failed with two bids for Coutinho after having a £72m offer rejected last month.
Their latest offer totalled €100m, with an initial €85m plus €15m in add-ons.
Liverpool consider the matter closed but it is not known if the Spanish club will continue their pursuit.
Reports emerging from Spain earlier in the week indicated that a deal was close but those claims were inaccurate as the Reds are not interested in meeting with Barcelona officials to negotiate.
Barcelona are confident that they can entice Coutinho to Spain and the player is interested in the move
But he is not going to force his way out of Anfield this summer against the club’s wishes.
Liverpool tied Coutinho down to a new five-year deal in January which, crucially, does not have a release clause.
That leaves the power in Fenway Sports Group, the club owners, and they would face a huge fan backlash if they weakened their stance and decided to sell.
Klopp spoke with Coutinho after the first bid was rejected to make it clear he did not want him to leave the club.
Coutinho is a major doubt for Liverpool’s Premier League opener on Saturday with a back injury that has kept him out of training for the last week.
The Brazilian has been undergoing treatment at Melwood since the club’s return from their training camp in Germany but the trip to Vicarage Road may come too soon.
Philippe Coutinho says talk of a move to Barcelona ‘is complicated’ and insists his sole focus is on playing for Brazil ahead of their friendly against Australia.
Barcelona fan and 2015 winner of Brazil’s premier posterior focused competition, Suzy Cortez has gone full Psychic Suzy with a Twitter post ‘welcoming’ Liverpool’s Philippe Coutinho to the Camp Nou.
Liverpool attacker, Philippe Coutinho had a window on his luxury Porsche Macan smashed while he attended the club’s end-of-season awards night on Tuesday.
Coutinho was joined by his wife Aine at Anfield, with the pair safely inside when a thug launched a rock at the Brazilian’s car window.
Pictures obtained exclusively by Sportsmail show significant damage to the £60,000 Porsche, which was parked alongside other players’ cars in a guarded car park.
A photographer located at the ground to snap players’ arrivals detailed how a man arrived at the scene to throw a rock at the car, before quickly running away.
A police van then arrived at the stadium, and a member of staff came outside with the keys to assess the damage to the expensive car.
Liverpool playmaker Philippe Coutinho became the Premier League’s highest-scoring Brazilian.
The 24-year-old came off the bench to score the important equaliser as his side recovered from a goal down to win 2-1 at Stoke.
It was his 30th top-flight goal and put him one clear of former Middlesbrough attacker Juninho.
Countryman Roberto Firmino, who scored the winner, is only 10 goals behind after 61 matches compared to his compatriot’s 131, but Coutinho plans to add many more having already equalled his best Premier League season tally of nine with seven games still to go.
“I am happy for that. I want to keep going to keep scoring and helping my team and keep learning from my manager,” said Coutinho, who only joined up with the squad on the morning of the match day after losing three kilograms in three days because of illness.
“[The club] asked me to stay at home because I was not feeling well but I wanted to be here.
“I wanted to be involved with the team. The manager decided [to put him on the bench] because I was not 100 percent.”
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