Liverpool round-up: Van Dijk saga continues; Coutinho keen to leave; Juventus latest in Can chase

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Liverpool appeared to have opted against a move for Southampton defender Virgil Van Dijk earlier today as Jurgen Klopp told Sky Sports that he was happy with his current defensive options in Dejan Lovren, Joel Matip, Ragnar Klavan and Joe Gomez. Klopp is reported to have said:

“Look out there and tell me five that would make us stronger. Five. Then you win a prize. It’s difficult how it is. We have four. I don’t think we need more. We cannot force the things and we would never get a centre back just because (of the sake of it). I’m happy. You can imagine we are still working on different things and we will see if it works. I am already here to work with this squad and not just always thinking ‘but if we don’t get this or this’.”

However, the Reds were then buoyed by news that the defender had handed in a transfer request at Saint Mary’s. The Telegraph say that the Dutchman has now decided to force through a move in order to fulfill his desire to return to a top club which is able to compete in European football.

There were also updates on Philippe Coutinho’s future as Sky Sports claimed that Coutinho would like to move away to Barcelona, but will not force through a move if Liverpool are refusing to sell. It seems unlikely to make much difference to the situation with five years left on his contract and the Reds refusing to budge.

There could be more to come in that tale though as Le Parisien also report that the arrival of Neymar has only encouraged Paris Saint-Germain to consider a move for the Brazilian, with a €100 million (£90.5 million) bid being considered by the Ligue Un club. Liverpool fans will be hoping that like Barcelona’s approaches, any moves from Paris will also be rejected.

Another player with an equally uncertain future is Emre Can. The midfielder is yet to put pen to paper on an extension to his contract, which has only 12 months left to run, and Turin based newspaper Tuttosport say that Juventus will make one final bid for the German in the coming week.

That has been directly contradicted by Guardian football editor Marcus Christenson, who said on Twitter that Juventus CEO Beppe Marotta has given up any hope of signing the Liverpool man. It’s clear to see why, with so many twists and turns, Liverpool fans can’t wait for the window to slam shut at the end of the month.