The big debate: Should Liverpool sell Philippe Coutinho or dig their heels in and keep an unhappy player?
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The Philippe Coutinho saga looks set to drag until the very end of the transfer window.
Liverpool have already rejected Coutinho's request to leave the club as Barcelona ramp up their interest in the Brazilian.
Anfield chiefs appear ready to dig their heels in and keep Coutinho at the club for another season.
But is an offer of over £100million too good to turn down?
We asked our reporters if they would persist with Coutinho and keep him at Liverpool, or whether, if they had the power, they would take the money.
(Image: Liverpool FC/Getty)
(Image: Alex Broadway/Getty Images)
David Maddock - Sell
Liverpool stood firm when Luis Suarez wanted out in the summer of 2013 and he responded by scoring 31 goals the following season as they came agonisingly close to ending their long wait for the title.
Suarez was allowed to join Barcelona that summer, after giving Liverpool one final season, and the club would do well to employ a similar approach with Coutinho.
Manchester United did the same with Cristiano Ronaldo, before granting him his move to Real Madrid.
From the player's point of view, Barcelona is Coutinho's dream move and the fear is that if he doesn't make the move now, he may never get the chance again.
If Barca are willing to pay £100m for Coutinho, Liverpool should take the money, irrespective of how it will be perceived by their fans and the wider football world.
Suarez may have responded in the best possible way after being told to give Liverpool one more year, but there are no guarantees Coutinho will react the same way, and £100m is a hefty profit on a player who cost just £8.5m four-and-a-half years ago.
The way Jurgen Klopp's stance on Coutinho seems to have shifted, with him admitting he has bosses who will make a decision on the player's future irrespective of him, suggests Liverpool may be leaning towards letting him go.
(Image: REUTERS)
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John Cross - Keep
They must keep him. You can't issue a statement like Liverpool did on Friday and then crack.
Players do have all the power but in this instance Liverpool have to bite back, dig in and stand up for their public statement
Andy Dunn - Sell
The tough stance from Fenway Sports Group is understandable.
Just because Barcelona come calling, it doesn't mean Liverpool should buckle but Jurgen Klopp should have the last word and it is hard to see how the manager's relationship with Coutinho can survive this.
Klopp puts great emphasis on unity, on everyone pulling in the same direction. Just ask Mamadou Sakho.
Klopp, in one of his more memorable analogies, said he only has time for players who want to 'push the train', not 'jump on a moving train'.
How can he have time for someone who wants to jump off the train?
The decision should rest with Klopp and he should sell.
(Image: Getty)
Darren Lewis - Keep
They should keep Coutinho. FSG have defied the odds and done it before, in 2013. Back then they held on to Luis Suarez for an extra year when it looked as though Arsenal would pinch him. Suarez responded with 31 goals that season to take Liverpool to within touching distance of the title.
In a brutal industry the club have no option but to dig their heels in again with Coutinho. True, he may fear missing out on a chance that may never come again.
Sell him, however, and Liverpool's title aspirations are over. Not only that, their claims to no longer being a selling club are shot to pieces. Clearly they would lose a quality player. But it is as much about what his departure would represent.
Throughout this summer Klopp has maintained he will not be sold. He has told fans and the media to take him at his word. FSG backed him last week with what seemed like an unequivocal statement. They simply cannot back down now.
If Coutinho is concerned he need only look at the case of Suarez. Knuckle down and continue to perform and you get your move anyway, maybe even to an even bigger club.
To be fair you don't get much bigger than Barcelona. Yet Liverpool have themselves been frustrated this summer by Leipzig who have succeeded in keeping Naby Keita from their clutches. It can be done. Liverpool simply have to hold their nerve.
(Image: PA)
(Image: Getty)
Simon Mullock - Keep
Liverpool must keep Philippe Coutinho.
For a start, Jurgen Klopp cannot afford to lose his best player with the season already underway and so little time to recruit a replacement.
Even with £100million to spend, who is available and able to fill the Brazilian's boots?
Liverpool's transfer window so far has been underwhelming and their season could disintegrate if they caved in to Barcelona.
Selling Coutinho would also have a damaging long-term effect. Liverpool boast that they are still one of the biggest clubs in the world - despite a title drought that has now stretched to 27 years.
Elite clubs do not sell their best players without having an alternative.
The word from Anfield has been that Coutinho is not for sale at any price.
If they backtracked now it would confirm that Liverpool are a selling club and no longer one of the elite.
(Image: Michael Regan)
Matt Lawless - Keep
We've seen this before. Countless times. Club say player is not for sale... player hands in transfer request... fans turn on player... club say they had to sell unhappy player.
Look, I hope I'm wrong. I really do. For me, Coutinho is the best player in the Premier League. He's box office. No wonder Barcelona want him.
But I would like to see Liverpool dig their heels in and keep hold of him. Sadly, I fear the writing is already on the wall.
(Image: Action Images via Reuters)
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Steve Bates - Sell
Liverpool's Fenway Sports Group owners made all the right noises to their fans when they sent out the message that Philippe Coutinho is not for sale at any price - but what's the point in keeping an unhappy player who clearly doesn't want to stay at Anfield?
Okay, the Brazilian signed a five year contract in January but that was to protect Liverpool as much as give the player a wage hike and often they aren't worth the paper they're written on.
Long contracts never stop club owners sacking a manager after a few months do they?
Jurgen Klopp won't want to contaminate his dressing room harmony with a player who has made it clear he wants to go. And if Liverpool did force Coutinho to stay won't the South American resent them denying him a chance to play for one of the world's biggest three clubs in Barcelona?
Coutinho has been at Liverpool over four years and hasn't got a trophy to his name in that time? So is it really a surprise he wants to leave and win some silverware?
(Image: Rex Features)
Martin Domin - Sell
They should sell, and do it today.
Liverpool's problems do not lie in attack, they showed that against Watford.
In Sadio Mane, Mo Salah, and Robert Firmino, Jurgen Klopp has impressive firepower at his disposal - and maybe even Daniel Sturridge will get himself fit.
If Liverpool can squeeze in excess of £100million from Barcelona and pass it on to Klopp, maybe he can finally fix the defensive frailties which, if left unresolved, will surely scupper their chances of glory this season.
(Image: Liverpool FC via Getty Images)
(Image: Liverpool FC via Getty)
Ibrahim Mustapha - Sell
Take the money and reinvest in the team.
As good as he is, Liverpool are actually still pretty strong in midfield and going forward but as they demonstrated during the draw against Watford, they still have major defensive issues that need to be addressed.
Coutinho would obviously be a loss but if they can take around £100m from Barcelona and use that to buy a centre back and a defensive midfielder (and arguably a new keeper), Jurgen Klopp's team might ultimately be better off in the long run.
James Whaling - Sell
It's a really difficult situation for Liverpool.
Having publicly said the player is absolutely not for sale at any price, they would be losing face, as well as their best player, by flogging him now.
Added to that the timing - with just two weeks remaining in the window - and you can see why the Reds would be tempted to dig their heels in.
However, having said all that, I still think they should sell.
What good is it having an unhappy player at the club? The Brazilian has obviously had his head turned and is desperate for the move. If Liverpool refuse him that opportunity, are his displays for the rest of the season going to merit that level of stubbornness? I'd argue not.
Not to mention the £100million+ windfall that would land on Merseyside.
Time for the Anfield giants to swallow their pride and give themselves a little time between now and the end of the window to try and replace Coutinho.