Liverpool Transfer News: Philippe Coutinho Plays Down PSG Interest, Top Rumours

Liverpool star Philippe Coutinho has denied any knowledge of a reported £23 million bid made by Paris Saint-Germain in an attempt to sign him from the Reds.

The Brazilian playmaker, who is on international duty at the Copa America Centenario, insisted he had not been told about an offer and is concentrating on playing with the Selecao, per Goal (h/t Yahoo Sports).

“As far as I know, there’s no offer,” Coutinho said. “I’m here with the national team, this subject is for my representatives. More important for me is to be here, focused on the national team and having a good tournament. That’s where my head is.”

Coutinho, 23, is arguably Liverpool’s best and most important player, and the Reds will be desperate to keep him at the club over the summer, but, along with PSG, Barcelona have also been reported as interested in signing him, per Marca‘s Joshua Byers.

Byers’ report suggested PSG’s initial bid of just over €30 million (£23.6 million) is “nowhere near enough money to tempt Liverpool into selling” but hinted that Barca may be willing to offer significantly more.

However, surely only an astronomical bid would be acceptable to Liverpool, and it has long been expected that Barca will not splash out on attacking players this summer—they already have Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Neymar—per the Mirror‘s Ed Malyon:

The former Inter Milan player’s reluctance to completely rule out a move away from Liverpool could be a concern for the Reds, though.

Moving the impetus onto his “representatives” will hardly fill Liverpool fans with confidence that Coutinho plans to stay at Anfield. 

PSG’s interest in him will also be increasing, as he is showing fine form at the Copa.

His hat-trick in Brazil’s 7-1 drubbing of Haiti showed him at his best, the first goal a stinging 20-yard finish after a driving run, the second an opportunistic tap-in and the third a textbook curled effort from outside the box, per the Anfield Wrap:

And PSG have the financial power to up their bid significantly if they feel Coutinho is the man to bolster their squad following the departure of Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

They also can offer Coutinho UEFA Champions League football and title-winning potential, not something currently on the cards at Liverpool despite their improvement under manager Jurgen Klopp.

The good news for Liverpool is that Coutinho is still tied to his contract until 2020, meaning that he will either stay at the club or leave for a large transfer fee.

However, despite dismissing the PSG bid claims, he did not close the door on a potential departure, and it seems likely the French giants may move again for Coutinho over the summer.

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