Liverpool round-up: Close to deal for Seri; Coutinho refuses to play; Klopp reacts to Hoffenheim win

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Liverpool could be close to making their third summer signing, according to TransferMarketWeb. They say that the Reds are close to a €22.5 million (£20.5 million) deal for the Ivory Coast international, beating off competition from the likes of Roma, Arsenal and Barcelona in the 26-year-old.

Seri could be considered as an alternative to Naby Keita in the short term, with Jurgen Klopp still pondering over further additions to his squad. With injury to Adam Lallana and Philippe Coutinho, the German could be forced to move in the transfer market to add depth in the middle of the park.

The absence of Coutinho could prove to be a long term problem as Catalan newspaper Mundo Deportivo state that the Brazilian has informed Jurgen Klopp that he will not play for the club again in an attempt to force through a move to Barcelona. It is considered the next step after he submitted a formal transfer request.

Currently sidelined by a supposed back injury, Coutinho is reportedly prepared to take the risk of missing game time in a World Cup year in order to leave Liverpool with no option but to sell. That would see Liverpool see a valuable asset sitting in the stands and may at least make them consider selling their number ten.

If he does do that, he could be sitting in the stands and watching on a Champions League campaign after Liverpool put one foot into the group stage with a 2-1 win over German side Hoffenheim away from home. Jurgen Klopp reacted post-match by praising his side, and youngster Trent Alexander-Arnold in particular, as he told the club website:

“I think it helps completely when you think that two-and-a-half hours ago, if somebody would have told me we’d win tonight I would’ve taken each result, even an 8-7. So I’m happy about the result, yes, I’m not happy about the goal they scored… I have to say for an 18-year-old who has the confidence to kick a free-kick like that, that is rather exciting and interesting for me than a little mistake. It was a very intensive match for him, he still has a little few things to learn, but he is a really great player.”

The 18-year-old was on the scoresheet with an impressive free-kick and James Milner added another when his cross was deflected into the net. Simon Mignolet also produced a penalty save but was unable to prevent Mark Uth from adding a late goal to pull one back for the Germans.