Liverpool have rejected claims from Barcelona they offered to sell Philippe Coutinho for £200 million before the Spanish transfer window closed.

Deals in La Liga were permitted until Friday night, 24 hours after the Premier League.

Barcelona officials suggested they were contacted and offered the 25-year-old for the eye-watering sum. Director Albert Soler made the remarks at a news conference on Saturday morning as the Catalans tried to explain their failure to recruit the player.

“Liverpool were asking for 200m and logically we didn't accept that,” said Soler.

“We thank the player for the efforts he made, because he did make a big effort and showed he wanted to play for us.

“The situation ended as it ended and there is nothing else we can do.”

However, Anfield sources have rubbished those remarks, branding them ‘absolutely false’ and ‘not true in any way, shape or form’.