Liverpool midfielder Philippe Coutinho submits transfer request amid Barcelona interest

New Delhi: If reports are to be believed, Liverpool midfielder Philippe Coutinho submitted a transfer request on Friday, hours after the Premier League club released a statement saying he is not for sale.

Earlier on Friday, Liverpool's owners, Fenway Sports Group, released a statement on Friday saying "no offers for Philippe will be considered."

The Reds had rejected a 100 million Euros bid from Barcelona for the 25-year-old, who is out of Saturday's trip to Watford with injury.

In a statement on Friday, the club's owners said its "definitive stance" was that "no offers will be considered".

Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp said the Brazilian would miss the season opener because of a back problem.

Klopp said he was also a doubt for Tuesday's Champions League play-off first leg at Hoffenheim as he had "not been in training since last Friday".

Coutinho, who scored 14 goals in all competitions last season, signed a new five-year deal in January that did not include a release clause. He joined Liverpool from Inter Milan for GBP 8.5m in 2013.

Barcelona have also had a bid rejected for Borussia Dortmund's 20-year-old forward Ousmane Dembele since they sold Brazil forward Neymar to Paris St-Germain for a world record GBP 200m last week.