Saturday 2 September 2017 21:36, UK
Liverpool deny Barcelona's claim the Reds put a £183m price tag on Philippe Coutinho, Sky sources understand.
Sky Sports News has been told Liverpool's stance that Coutinho was not for sale did not change at any point during the transfer window, and Barcelona were aware of this.
After weeks of offers, yesterday Liverpool wanted €200m for one player. We won't put the club at risk.
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp always insisted Coutinho is priceless to Liverpool, but Barca director Albert Soler claimed on Saturday that the Merseyside club did put a price tag on Coutinho and were open to selling to him.
The Spanish club failed with three bids for the Brazil international - the final offer being worth up to £118m - as they attempted to secure a replacement for Neymar, who departed for Paris Saint-Germain in a world-record £200m transfer.
"On Friday, after weeks of offers and talks, Liverpool put a price on the player that we wanted [Coutinho]," Soler said in a media conference, alongside sporting director Robert Fernandez, on Saturday.
"A price of €200m (£183m) and we decided we wouldn't do it."
Coutinho, who handed in a transfer request at Liverpool, is yet to feature for the Reds this season due to a back injury, but scored while playing for Brazil in the 1-0 win over Ecuador in their World Cup qualifier on Thursday.
The 25-year-old, who signed a new five-year contract at Liverpool in January, is expected to play for Brazil in their next qualifier against Colombia on Tuesday.
