Liverpool round-up: Stalling over Coutinho interest; conflicting £74m Keita bid reports; no loan for Sakho

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As Barcelona continue to up the pressure in their pursuit of Brazilian star Philippe Coutinho, Catalan newspaper Mundo Deportivo say that Liverpool are stalling on any bids from Barcelona. They claim that the Reds are reluctant to make any decision until after their Champions League qualifier in August.

It seems unlikely that Liverpool will allow their star man to leave Anfield this summer. If they do miss out on qualification to the group stages of the Champions League, they may be forced to consider cashing in though as Coutinho is likely to be desperate to be playing at the highest level.

Any money from that sale may have been put towards a move for midfielder Naby Keita. German newspaper Bild suggest that the Reds have made a third bid for the Red Bull Leipzig ace worth €83 million (£74.2 million). To date, they have been accurate in their reporting of the club’s interest with two previous bids rejected.

However, Goal go against these reports and claim that the club opted against a third bid for the 22-year-old. They believe that the club instead decided to shelve their interest until next summer and are now considering other targets that they could bring to Merseyside this summer.

Any summer business is likely to be funded by a potential sale of Mamadou Sakho. The central defender is no longer needed by Jurgen Klopp and the Mirror say that he will only be sold permanently, with a £30 million asking price on his head. Crystal Palace are believed to be interested.

Sakho spent time on loan at Selhurst Park last season but Palace have been determined to get him at a cheaper price if they are to sign him permanently. Liverpool have not yet budged though and could demand the full fee they are asking for if they are to allow him to leave.