Football
ESPN staff 7y

Jurgen Klopp tells Barcelona to 'save their energy' on Philippe Coutinho

MUNICH -- Jurgen Klopp says Barcelona can "save their energy" in their pursuit of Philippe Coutinho.

Since rejecting a £72 million offer for Coutinho from the Catalan side last month, Liverpool have remained adamant that the Brazil international will not be sold for any price.

The 25-year-old continues to be courted by Barcelona, who are facing the real prospect of losing Neymar to Paris Saint-Germain this summer.

When asked at a news conference what he thought of Barcelona's interest in the player, Klopp responded: "I can understand that Coutinho is so highly rated, but they can save their energy."

Klopp was speaking to the media after Liverpool's 3-0 win over Bayern Munich on Tuesday night in the opening round of the Audi Cup.

However, the victory at the Allianz Arena was slightly soured when Daniel Sturridge was forced off injured almost immediately after scoring Liverpool's third goal.

The striker believes the problem was down to "fatigue" and is hopeful that he would be "OK."

"It's a little bit of tension kicking off, man," Sturridge told the Liverpool's official television channel. "We've done a lot of running, a lot of work -- we train on the morning of games and things like that.

"I think it's fatigue, to be honest. I'll be OK."

Speaking at his news conference, the Liverpool manager added: "He hurt his thigh. He has prepared really well and I just hope that this is just a small injury and he can play really soon.

"The goal was really great and he had a chance before that. You could see how fast he is. It's a shame. I hope that it's nothing serious."

Meanwhile, Alberto Moreno impressed during the Reds' victory over Bayern as goals from Sturridge, Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah set up a final with Atletico Madrid on Wednesday.

The Spanish left-back has been widely expected to depart Anfield this summer, with the Merseyside club setting a £15 million price tag on him after rejecting an offer from Napoli.

When asked whether Moreno still has a future at Liverpool, Klopp replied: "If he plays like he did today, then yeah. It was a really good game by Alberto.

"That's why we kept him playing because every second we kept him playing, he was playing better -- he was really present, he is really fit.

"He's got a little problem with his thigh since the day before yesterday, but we had a test with him this morning. He played really well.

"The players decide themselves how many games they play."

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