Philippe Coutinho to Barcelona? Jurgen Klopp rules out January transfer of Liverpool ace

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has addressed concerns that a deal has been agreed with Barcelona for a specific fee pertaining to the transfer of Philippe Coutinho in January. The Reds have been adamant in their decision to keep the midfielder, rejecting three bids for the Brazil international last summer.

Spanish publication Sport claims that Barcelona plan to launch an initial offer worth €130m (£114.7m, $155m) to test Liverpool's resolve and are confident that a deal can be reached for the right price.

The news comes ripe from their pursuits on deadline day, with the Catalans forced to abandon their interest, with Liverpool unwilling to negotiate his departure at any price. Barcelona boss Ernesto Valverde refused to add any fire to the speculation, stating that no deal can be reached at this point given that the window is closed.

Klopp was asked about his stand on the latest speculation, but the German refused to be drawn into the talks, stating that the entire thing has blown up again as a few newspapers in Spain have decided to run the story. He went on to add that Coutinho is an integral part of the setup and they have no plans to let him leave in the near future.

"Named a price? Interesting," Klopp said laughing, as quoted by the Liverpool Echo. "There is absolutely nothing to say about this. Of course Phil is still essential for us. Should we stop thinking about him in the moment just because there are more stories about him in the newspapers in Spain?"

The Brazilian is likely to return to the starting line-up against Brighton and Hove Albion on Saturday after being rested at Stoke City in midweek. Arsenal ace Mesut Ozil has been mentioned as a potential cheaper alternative in recent days but there are reportedly concerns over his lifestyle which has put a dampener on the interest.