Jurgen Klopp has confirmed that Philippe Coutinho will miss Liverpool’s Premier League tie with Crystal Palace on Saturday through injury, amid intense Barcelona transfer interest.
The Brazilian forward sat out of the Reds’ opening game of the season, a 3-3 draw at Watford, with striker Daniel Sturridge also unavailable.
“Daniel, yes I would say he is available. He was involved in the full session yesterday. Coutinho still hasn’t trained yet,” Klopp told reporters on Thursday.
Coutinho handed in a transfer request at Liverpool following interest from Barcelona and is said to be keen to leave the UK for the Liga giants.
Klopp, who has been open about his disappointment with Coutinho, has refused to be drawn on the 25-year-old’s attitude as he continues his attempts to force an exit.
Barcelona are expected to return with a bid in excess of £120 million for Coutinho, making him the second-most expensive player of all-time behind Neymar should Liverpool accept.
