Liverpool have laughed off claims from Barcelona that they placed a €200m price tag on Philippe Coutinho on the final day of the transfer window.

The Spanish club's director, Albert Soler, claimed on Saturday that the Reds had informed Barcelona on Friday of their valuation of Coutinho, but said that the La Liga giants were not prepared to pay the price.

That claim has been robustly denied by senior Liverpool officials, who insist that they never placed any such valuation on the player and that Barcelona's claims are false.

Liverpool's stance throughout Barcelona's protracted and increasingly desperate pursuit of Coutinho has always been that the Brazilian was not for sale at any price, and that negotiations would not even be considered.

They believe, with justification, that they remained true to the statement issued by the club's owners on August 11, and that Barcelona were aware of their stance up to and including Friday's deadline day in Spain.

Barcelona failed with three formal offers for the 24-year-old, who handed in a transfer request on the eve of the new Premier League season last month. A fourth bid never materialised, despite persistent reports in the Spanish media about their desire to bring Coutinho to Camp Nou.

Soler's claims, made in a news conference, appeared to suggest that Liverpool WERE willing to do business at a set price - £183m. This, however, has been strongly refuted by Reds officials, who consider the matter done with.