Philippe Coutinho misses Liverpool friendly as Barcelona try to land Brazilian as Neymar replacement
Playmaker will sit out Athletic Bilbao clash as he tries to recover from a slight niggle with Prem opener a week away
PHILIPPE COUTINHO will miss Liverpool's friendly against Athletic Bilbao tonight as Barcelona try to convince the Reds to sell.
The Brazilian playmaker - identified as Neymar's replacement - has not recovered from the slight niggle which kept him out of the midweek Atletico Madrid clash.
And despite Barca's interest, Anfield chief Jurgen Klopp is adamant Coutinho will be lining up when the Premier League kicks off next week.
Nou Camp chiefs are planning to spend a big chunk of the £198million they raked in from selling Neymar on his fellow countryman.
The Brazil international has developed under Klopp and become the focal point of the Reds' game.
Mohamed Salah's arrival is likely to see Coutinho operate in a midfield role as the Egyptian joins Sadio Mane and Robert Firmino in a front three.
He was used in a deeper position in the 3-0 rout of Bayern Munich, after which Klopp told his suitors not to waste their energy chasing a deal.
After missing the Atletico clash, Coutinho is not part of the squad who headed to Dublin to face Bilbao.
Klopp decided not to risk him in yesterday's training session, with Kop's league curtain raiser just seven days away.
The Reds travel to Watford looking to build on a successful campaign last time out which saw Klopp beat Arsene Wenger into the Champions League spots.