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Barcelona's pursuit of Philippe Coutinho 'leaked'

Leaked emails reveal that Liverpool asked Barcelona to "stop harassing" Philippe Coutinho over the summer.

Liverpool allegedly asked Barcelona to "stop harassing" Philippe Coutinho as the La Liga giants attempted to woo the Brazilian to Spain over the summer.

The 25-year-old was heavily pursued by Ernesto Valverde's side over the summer but the Reds were adamant that he was not for sale, rejecting three bids from Barcelona, including a top offer of £114m.

According to leaked emails published today by German newspaper Der Spiegel, Barca's first offer of £72m on July 20 was flat out rejected, as was a subsequent offer of £90m in early August.

The second offer was turned down by Reds sporting director Michael Edwards, who also said: "I ask you amicably to stop harassing Coutinho publicly and privately. No amount of money will change our minds."

The emails also reveal that the final rejected offer was to the tune of £114m, while personal terms for Coutinho would have seen him earn £101m over his five-year contract and his agent would have been in line for a £9m payment.

The leaks also corroborate Liverpool's insistence that they did not demand €200m (£183m) for the Brazilian in the final throes of the transfer window.

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Written by
Neil Wilkes
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Schalke's midfielder Leon Goretzka (L) and Bayern Munich's Spanish midfielder Xabi Alonso vie for the ball during the German first division Bundesliga football match FC Schalke 04 vs FC Bayern Munich in Gelsenkirchen, western Germany, on November 21, 2015
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TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
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2Arsenal18106235161936
3Chelsea18105338211735
4Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest1810442419534
5Newcastle UnitedNewcastle188553021929
6Bournemouth188552721629
7Manchester CityMan City188463026428
8Fulham187742623328
9Aston Villa188462629-328
10Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton186842726126
11Brentford187383232024
12Tottenham HotspurSpurs1872939261323
13West Ham UnitedWest Ham186572330-723
14Manchester UnitedMan Utd186482124-322
15Everton173861522-717
16Crystal Palace183871826-817
17Wolverhampton WanderersWolves1843112940-1115
18Leicester CityLeicester1835102240-1814
19Ipswich TownIpswich1826101633-1712
20Southampton1813141137-266


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