Former Bayern Munich and Manchester United midfielder Owen Hargreaves thinks Philippe Coutinho not being involved against Hoffenheim this evening is a sign he is on his way out at Liverpool.

Officially Coutinho is absent from the first leg of Liverpool's Champions League playoff round tie in Germany due to a back injury.




He also missed Saturday's 3-3 draw away at Watford in the Premier League and the absence comes amid interest from Barcelona and the midfielder slapping in a transfer request in a bid to force through a move to the Camp Nou.

Liverpool do not want to sell Coutinho, despite the player demanding to be sold, and have vowed to hold on to him, having rejected two offers from the Catalans so far.

 


But Hargreaves thinks ultimately Liverpool will lose the Brazilian to Barcelona as the pull of the Camp Nou is too much for the player to resist.

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"I hope he stays there, but the calling of Barcelona is far too big", the former England international said on Viasport.

"I think him not playing today almost looks like a sign that he's not going to be here in this window.

"Barcelona want Coutinho and it's a sign that he's a top player.

"I think any time a player like that, and especially a Brazilian, he's always going to want to play at a team like Barcelona.

"I think he loves it at Liverpool, but Barcelona is a step up", Hargreaves stressed.

"He would be a big loss for Liverpool and the Premier League, but when Barcelona come calling, as you saw with [Luis] Suarez, it's almost impossible to stop."

With the clock ticking down on the transfer window, time is running out for Barcelona to convince Liverpool to sell Coutinho – and if the Reds do sell, they need time to find a replacement.