Liverpool have rejected a second bid from Barcelona for their player Philippe Coutinho, seemingly sticking to their stance that the Brazilian is not for sale, at any price.
The English Premier League side had already rejected an opening bid of €80 million (£72 million) from Barcelona, and have now said no to a second offer, this time worth €100 million (£90.3 million).
Barca officials had flown to England to try and negotiate a fee with Liverpool, with the Spanish club keen to get the deal across the line by this week.
However, their latest proposal of €85 million plus €15 million in add-ons has not tempted Liverpool to allow the transfer of Coutinho to go through.
Reports in the UK claim this is a show of strength from Liverpool, with Jurgen Klopp, on more than one occasion, insisting Coutinho would not be sold, for any price.
But, a report in Mundo Deportivo claims otherwise.
The Barcelona-based newspaper also revealed that Liverpool have rejected the second bid worth €100 million, but they say the deal will be completed before the closure of the transfer window.
Apparently, Liverpool are holding Barcelona off because Klopp wants Coutinho to play in the UEFA Champions League qualifier against Hoffenheim.
It would be a bit of a disaster if Liverpool were to fail to make it to the group stages of the Champions League, so in order to give themselves the best chance of playing UCL football next month, Klopp is keen to have Coutinho in the side, particularly after Adam Lallana was ruled out for months through injury.
The report claims Barcelona remain confident of getting the deal over the line, although it will cost them more than they had initially expected.
With the rejection of the second bid, it is clear Liverpool are holding out for a fee that will make Coutinho the second most expensive transfer of all-time. And because that third bid and the acceptance and everything else that will follow will take some more time, Liverpool are confident they can keep Coutinho for, at least, the first leg of the Champions League qualifier against Hoffenheim, which is slated for next week.
