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Jurgen Klopp insists Philippe Coutinho is not for sale after Barcelona table £72m bid
JURGEN KLOPP insists Liverpool will not sell Philippe Coutinho after they rejected a fresh bid from Barcelona.
Liverpool have rejected Barcelona's bid for Philippe Coutinho
Barcelona are determined to sign Coutinho this summer but have seen a £72million bid waved away by Liverpool.
Coutinho only signed a new five-year contract with the Anfield club in January, so there is no pressure to cash in on the 25-year-old.
And Klopp explained why he is confident the former Inter Milan star will remain on Merseyside.
"Yes (he is not for sale), but that's not since this morning or yesterday, it's not been any different," Klopp said during Liverpool's pre-season tour in Hong Kong.
"Phil is a very important player for us. He's trying to get back his rhythm but there's no doubt about his quality. He's very smart both offensively and defensively.
Barcelona offered £72m for Philippe Coutinho
Jurgen Klopp says Liverpool will not sell Philippe Coutinho (right) or any other top star
"The nice news for us is that he's still young. He has improved a lot since I've been here and he can still improve a lot."
Klopp has so far brought in just one big-name signing during the summer transfer window, with Mohamed Salah completing his club-record switch from Roma.
England youngster Dominic Solanke has also joined the club, while Lucas Leiva and Andre Wisdom have departed on permeant deals.
Philippe Coutinho scores great goal for Liverpool
It appears as though the Reds will have a relatively quiet window but Klopp is aware that other clubs are interested in his top stars.
"I'm not surprised that any club is interested in players at Liverpool. The very important message is that we are not a selling club and that's how it is," he said.
"We believe in working together and developing together. We want to make the next step together and for this we need to stay together.
"We have to create a situation where everybody is easily able to see which direction we want to go. It's really positive. This is a fantastic club and it's a good moment for Liverpool.”
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