Emails between Liverpool and Barcelona have reportedly been leaked, and they appear to show the Reds asking their rivals to “stop harassing Philippe Coutinho”.
As per The Mirror, Barcelona failed with three separate bids for the Brazilian playmaker this past summer, despite the fact that he also handed in a transfer request which seemed to suggest that he was eager to move on the Nou Camp.
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While an initial offer of around £72m was made and rejected, the Catalan giants returned with an improved bid of £90m in early August, as per the report, and that led to the frank email from Liverpool sporting director Michael Edwards.
“I ask you amicably to stop harassing Coutinho publicly and privately. No amount of money will change our minds,” he reportedly said, as noted by German newspaper Der Spiegel in conjunction with Football Leaks.
It’s added by the Mirror that Barca had a third offer of £114m rejected towards the end of the transfer window and ultimately were forced to look elsewhere as Liverpool’s stance on the matter never changed.
In turn, after missing the opening weeks of the season, Coutinho has now gradually been reintegrated into Jurgen Klopp’s team and has played in the last three games while he’s also expected to start against Leicester City in their Premier League clash on Saturday.
Despite the big money on offer, Liverpool were never interested in entertaining the thought of losing their prized asset and influential star, and these reported leaked emails back up those claims as they appear to have taken a very firm stance and never budged all summer.