Liverpool have firmly rebuffed a second bid from Spanish side Barcelona for Philippe Coutinho, insisting that the midfielder remains unavailable for sale.

Having seen a first offer knocked back around two weeks ago, the Catalan club went back in with an offer of one hundred million Euros - equivalent to £90.3M. 

However, Liverpool sent Barcelona packing, rejecting the offer with a firm message that the Brazilian isn't for sale.

Coutinho not pushing particularly hard 

Adding to that, rumours coming out of the club suggested that if Coutinho was to press for a move, it would take much more than the second bid to lure him away.

It's understood that Liverpool's top-scorer from last season would prefer to move to Barcelona this summer, but is respectful of his current club's position and may be willing to wait a year to get the move that many South American players crave from a young age. 

Having been forced to sell the likes of Javier Mascherano and Xabi Alonso to Spanish teams in the past due to financial difficulties, Liverpool are in a much stronger position to rebuff Barca this time around.

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Reds have no reason to give in, yet

The Reds have money to spend already this summer, as evidenced by their rejected bids for Virgil Van Dijk and Naby Keita.

It's no thought that the money gained from Coutinho's sale would aid Liverpool in gaining these targets, giving them little reason to consider letting a fan favourite depart. 

Whether or not Barcelona will return with a third bid remains unknown, but it does seem likely.

However, given that they're also pursuing Ousmane Dembele of Borussia Dortmund, it's thought by many that the asking prices of both LFC and BVB will eventually force Barcelona into picking between the two.

Which player that is, is one to keep an eye on. 

 

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