Liverpool CEO Peter Moore unsure of Philippe Coutinho future

Liverpool CEO Peter Moore admits he doesn't know "what is going to happen" in the long-term regarding Philippe Coutinho, but believes the player is fully committed to the club – for now.

Coutinho, 25, was chased and chased by Barcelona during the summer transfer window, with the Merseyside club rejecting a number of bids after the playmaker initially handed in a transfer request to leave Anfield – despite signing a new deal in January reportedly worth around £150,000-a-week.

After the summer transfer window closed, Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu claimed the La Liga giants had to abandon the pursuit on deadline day, with Liverpool demanding they pay €200m (£175.8m, $235.7m) or forget about his signing.

But the Catalan outfit remain intensely linked with a move for the Brazil international, with Mundo Deportivo claiming Liverpool are now ready to cash in for around €145m. Barca are still hopeful of reducing that fee even further.

But after Coutinho himself suggested a move to the Nou Camp in the past, Moore, who took up his post at Anfield in June, added he expects the player to remain with the Reds beyond the January transfer window.

"As far as I'm concerned, the squad we have right now is the squad that we're going to have going into January," Moore told Sky Sports.

"I don't have a crystal ball, I don't know what is going to happen, but Philippe Coutinho is a dedicated, intense Liverpool player right now and he is delivering."

Liverpool spent just shy of £90m during the summer transfer window, a figure dwarfed by that spent by Manchester City and Manchester United, and even their free-spending neighbours Everton.

In Mohamed Salah, however, they brought in a player widely regarded as the signing of the season so far. While Moore admits the club refuse to overspend on players, he insists they will be competitive when it comes to battling their rivals for talent.

"From the perspective of competing, we do things the Liverpool way. The chemistry that we build on the field – it's not about buying the most expensive player.

"We haven't been shy, obviously the Mohamed Salah purchase for many people has been the top acquisition of the season. We already have Naby Keita coming and I think Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain is doing a tremendous job.

"The investments are being made. It's hard to knock what you are seeing on the field right now."

Moore added that outlook will be embraced heading into the January transfer window, confirming the club are out to strengthen their squad for the second half of the season.

"What I will say, because I know you are leading up to the question about January, the club continues to look at acquisitions that will strengthen the squad."