Report Claims Philippe Coutinho Will Refuse to Play for Liverpool in Hope to Push Barca Deal Through

Philippe Coutinho's ongoing transfer saga with Barcelona continues to gather momentum heading into the January transfer window. From rumours of transfer fees,

Philippe Coutinho's ongoing transfer saga with Barcelona continues to gather momentum heading into the January transfer window. From rumours of transfer fees, to Nike's website appearing to leak the Brazilian's move to Catalonia, Coutinho's departure from Liverpool has never looked more likely. 

More reports are emerging about the proposed move, with Sport now claiming that Coutinho is refusing to play for Liverpool again in an attempt to force through the move to Barcelona. 

Coutinho missed Liverpool's last match against Burnley due to a thigh problem. His absence raised a lot of eyebrows as it fuelled suspicions that the Brazilian may be off to Barcelona in the coming days. 

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Liverpool are in FA Cup action on Friday against local rivals Everton. But even if Coutinho is deemed fit to play for the Merseyside derby, Sport claim that the 25-year-old will refuse to feature. 

Coutinho has continued to shine for Liverpool, despite all the speculation surrounding his future. He has 15 goals and eight assists in all competitions for the Reds this term. Liverpool will look for a high price from Barcelona worthy of the Brazilian's talent and future potential.

The Reds rejected a bid of £72m for Barcelona last summer and managed to keep hold of Coutinho despite the midfielder handing in a transfer request. 

But with Coutinho's latest ultimatum, the Reds may be forced to finally let go of their star man. Liverpool will apparently demand at least £150m from Barcelona if they hope to sign Coutinho.