Liverpool have rejected Philippe Coutinho’s request to leave the club.
Coutinho made the request to sporting director Michael Edwards on Friday, just hours after the Anfield hierarchy issued a public statement on his future.
Owners Fenway Sports Group made a ‘definitive’ declaration the Brazilian would not be sold this summer amid continued attempts by Barcelona to sign him.
Two failed bids of £72 million and £90.2m have been tabled by the Catalans before Coutinho sent the email to Edwards seeking to sever ties with Anfield.
However Liverpool are not prepared to accept the 25-year-old’s intimation of his plans to join Barca this summer as part of their continued hard-line stance.
FSG had insisted that ‘no offers for Philippe will be considered and he will remain a member of Liverpool Football Club when the summer window closes.’
Jurgen Klopp informed Coutinho that he would not be allowed to leave Liverpool after Barcelona’s initial bid last month during a pre-season tour of Hong Kong.
The Liverpool manager echoed FSG’s comments as he previewed his side’s Premier League season opener with Watford.
He said: “I think if somebody, in this case FSG, is saying something like this it is the statement
“I think I have said it already a few times, but maybe that’s not 100% clear.
“I don’t think I ever told you anything about what I spoke to players [about].
“I turned 50 in the summer, so maybe I forget things like this. I have nothing to say about this.”
The playmaker is set to miss the trip to Vicarage Road and could also be doubtful for Tuesday’s Champions League qualifier against Hoffenheim with a back injury.
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