Barcelona transfer target Philippe Coutinho will ask Liverpool to reject any bids they receive from Paris Saint-Germain as he continues to hold out for a move to the Nou Camp.
The Brazilian playmaker was a primary summer target for the Catalan giants, who tested the Reds’ resolve with a mammoth £114million bid in August.
Liverpool were insistent that Coutinho was not for sale. But the Spanish club are reportedly ready to return with a £106m bid in January.
According to Sport, however, Paris Saint-Germain are also preparing their own move for the 25-year-old.
The Ligue 1 giants are hopeful of persuading the Brazilian, who only signed a new contract at Anfield last year, to choose a move to the French capital rather than the Nou Camp.
But the Spanish newspaper claim Coutinho has asked Liverpool not to sell him to PSG. ‘(He) has asked his representatives to ignore any offer that comes to them. One of them is from PSG,’ they report.
‘The Brazilian does not want noise, nor third parties, getting in the way of negotiations between Liverpool and Barca.’
Sport also claim that the midfielder’s relationship with manager Jurgen Klopp has not been tarnished by the refusal to let him leave, even after he handed in a transfer request.
And Coutinho does not appear to by fazed by the speculation surrounding his future. The playmaker has scored four goals and created three more in nine appearances for the Reds this season.
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