'It's the club's decision' says Klopp distancing himself from Coutinho's potential move to Barcelona

Jurgen Klopp has left the decision with regards to Philippe Coutinho's potential transfer to Barcelona in the hands of Liverpool's hierarchy by stating that his job is to coach the players currently at his disposal.

The German coach has been adamant in recent weeks that the Brazilian midfielder is not for sale, but has tried to avoid questions regarding the transfer speculation once the new Premier League season got underway.

The club released a statement stating their intention to retain the player, but Coutinho responded by handing in an official transfer request. The former Inter Milan midfielder is keen on a move to Camp Nou and the Catalan club are also pushing for the move with club officials openly talking about his imminent arrival.

The Merseyside club, however, have maintained their stance thus far with recent reports revealing that they had rejected a second £114m ($146.8m) offer from Barcelona, but Coutinho's insistence on leaving Liverpool could force the club to accept the Spanish giants' offer.

The Brazil international has missed the Reds' opening two games of the league season – a draw with Watford and a win over Crystal Palace - due to an injury, and Klopp admits that Coutinho's unavailability is a big blow to any club, but the German manager stayed away from speculating about his future

"It is the decision of the club, I think there is no doubt about that," Klopp said in the aftermath of Liverpool's win over Palace, as quoted by Liverpool Echo.

"It's not my decision, I'm the manager of the football team so when players are available, I coach them, and that is how it is.

"At the moment Phil is not available, but you can imagine missing Philippe Coutinho would be a big blow for each team in the world, so it is for us," he added. "But it's the situation so I cannot change it, and whatever I would say cannot change it."