Liverpool transfer news: Jurgen Klopp reaffirms decision to keep Philippe Coutinho at Anfield

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has reiterated his decision to keep Philippe Coutinho at Anfield after the Brazilian scored the winner to lead the Reds' to their pre-season victory over Leicester City in the Premier League Asia Trophy in Hong Kong. The midfielder has been at the heart of discussions this week, with Barcelona interested in the player and have already had a few bids rebuffed by the Merseyside club.

Klopp became quite animated when questioned about his intentions yet again, stating that there was no avenue through which the player would be allowed to leave the club under any circumstances.

There has been speculation all summer, with the Catalans ostensibly viewing the midfielder as a replacement for the ageing Andres Iniesta, which grew further when a new report suggested that the La Liga giants had submitted an (£71.6m, $93.1m) bid for Coutinho that was believed to have been instantly rebuffed.

"If I say he is not for selling, he is not for selling", he stated again after the Premier League Asia Trophy match, as quoted by the Daily Mail. "There is nothing else to say. It's a club decision, it's my decision. That's how it is."

When asked if he has received any assurances from the board, Klopp reiterated, "I can say 20 times, he is not for sale. If you ask the other question the other way and I say, there has been no assurance, you make the story the other way.

"There is no story for me. Whatever happens from their side, I say he is not for sale. The answer is — not for sale."

However, despite Klopp's insistence, doubts still remain over Liverpool's notoriety as a selling club, having sold Luis Suarez to Barcelona and followed that up by letting Raheem Sterling leave for Manchester City. To the former Borussia Dortmund manager's credit, he was not involved in either of the deals and insists that there would not be any such repeats in the future.

"With Suarez, I was far away," the former Dortmund manager said. "When the club sold Sterling, I was maybe the last to know about it. So those situations have nothing to do with this one.

"We are approaching a very important moment and we want to get better. For this, we have to keep our key players. So that's the answer."