Jurgen Klopp has acknowledged that the owners of Liverpool, Fenway Sports Group, have the final say on the future of Philippe Coutinho at Anfield, with Barcelona being the most interested in signing the Brazilian. Coutinho submitted a transfer request last Friday. The request from the Brazilian international came just hours after Liverpool insisted that they would not entertain any offers for the 25-year-old player.
The transfer market in Goal
Coutinho, who missed the 3-0 draw against Watford in the Premier League on Saturday, will not face Hoffenheim on Tuesday due to a back problem. As doubts continue over Coutinho, Liverpool manager Klopp admitted his hands are tied: "If, for example, there is an offer for a player and I say 'No', and the owners say, 'Yes, we will ask for a certain amount of how much they want to pay'. And I say, 'No'. But they say they want to hear it, 50 million pounds... 50 million euros is great," Klopp said. "Then they sell the player - that's how a club works," he explained with humor.
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"That's how it happened with Hans-Joachim Watzke [CEO] at Dortmund. Do you think I said, 'Sell Nuri Sahin to Real Madrid as soon as possible?' It wasn't my decision, the player had a contract, they agreed, I don't ask for things I can't get and I respect the rules in the game," Klopp said.
"If they, referring to Fenway Sports Group, say that Barcelona will offer whatever and we don't want it, then it's a clear message. We don't want the money, we want to invest in the team and have the best team because we have goals and dreams, that's the message.
"It's not important what I think, I have the player from August 31st, again, or when the back problem is cured," Klopp added. "There is nothing more I can say about it, I think I said: 'I have bosses', right?, I have many bosses, including my wife, I can live with this, no problem, they [the owners] are 100% clear about this. There is nothing more to say.