Liverpool Transfer News: Philippe Coutinho, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain Rumours

Barcelona will make a second bid for Liverpool's Philippe Coutinho, worth around £80 million.

That's according to Darren Lewis and Neil Moxley of the Sunday Mirror, who note the Blaugrana have already seen the Reds turn down an offer of £72 million for the midfielder. However, it appears the Merseyside club and manager Jurgen Klopp are reluctant to sell the Brazilian.

"Klopp held talks with Coutinho at the Reds team hotel, the Ritz Carlton, last night after the 2-1 win over Leicester [City], in which the Brazilian scored," the report stated. "Liverpool owners FSG have already decreed they will not negotiate with Barca after their Brazilian superstar signed an improved five-year deal last season."

As Lewis and Moxley reported, Klopp has insisted the Reds will not be a selling club under his watch, despite having let the likes of Luis Suarez and Raheem Sterling leave in recent years.

"With Suarez, I was far away," he said. "When the club sold Sterling, I was maybe the last to know about it. So those ­situations have nothing to do with this one."

Clive Brunskill/Getty Images

Coutinho has developed a reputation as one of the most exciting players in European football with Liverpool, offering incision and inventiveness. However, football journalist Rafael Hernandez isn't sure the Brazilian is the type of footballer Barcelona need:

As Julien Laurens noted in the Guardian, Paris Saint-Germain are said to be "increasingly confident" of wrapping up a £199 million move for Barcelona forward Neymar. Should that switch go through, there's little doubt the Blaugrana have the funds to test the Reds' resolve.

For Liverpool, the interest in their star man is a huge test of their ambition. While they could demand an extraordinary amount of money for the player, replacing him would be a massive challenge. It's why Reds supporters will be desperate to see the club decline any offer that comes their way.

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain Contract Rumours

Matt King/Getty Images

According to John Cross of the Sunday Mirror, reported Liverpool target Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain wants to leave Arsenal to reignite his career.

Cross reported the midfielder is ready to end his six-year stay at the Emirates Stadium this summer, with the Reds and Chelsea linked. He just under one year left on his Arsenal contract.

"But Oxlade-Chamberlain is making it clear that he is not holding out for money but is ambitious and is desperate to push himself and realise his full potential," Cross reported. "Arsenal midfielder Oxlade-Chamberlain has a lot of respect for [manager] Arsene Wenger and the fans but believes his future could lie elsewhere."

The England international finished the previous season in fine form, although he's rarely displayed consistency at the Emirates. Per WhoScored.com, in terms of his creative output, the 23-year-old excelled:

At Arsenal, the midfielder has been used in a variety of roles, with his explosiveness and application making him an asset all over the pitch. But this has been to the detriment of his overall development—as has his own erratic form.

Oxlade-Chamberlain's qualities would be a tremendous fit for Klopp's high-energy brand of football. Still, at Anfield, he'd face just as much competition for a starting sport as he does in north London.