Liverpool turn down third bid worth £114 million for Brazilian

Liverpool have turned down a third offer from La Liga giant FC Barcelona for playmaker Philippe Coutinho, according to sources from the Premier League club. Reports indicate Barcelona’s latest bid was worth about £114 million a notable rise on their initial offer of £90 million.

The Reds have publicly declared that the Brazil international is not for sale at any price at all, and consider the fee being offered by FC Barcelona irrelevant. The 25-year-old playmaker who is currently sidelined due to a back injury has submitted a formal transfer request. He only recently signed a new five-year deal in January.

The Catalan club have targeted Coutinho and winger Ousmane Dembele from Borussia Dortmund to fill in the gap left by Neymar’s world transfer record £198 million move to big spending Ligue 1 club Paris Saint-Germain. Barcelona General manager Pep Segura told the press on Thursday that a deal for the two targets were “close.”

But the Reds are refusing to move, and 20-year-old Dembele has been suspended by his Bundesliga side Borussia Dortmund after going on strike in a plot to push through a transfer to Camp Nou. Philippe Coutinho joined the Merseyside club from Inter Milan in a £8.5 million transfer back in January 2013 and is the Chief creative figure in Jurgen Klopp’s side, finding the back of the net 14 times in all competitions last campaign.