Liverpool Legend Claims He Will Join 'Riot' Among Anfield Faithful Should Coutinho Be Sold to Barca

Liverpool legend and Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher has claimed he will "riot" if Philippe Coutinho leaves the club to join Catalan giants Barcelona.

The former defender quipped that he would be part of any Liverpool fans' presumed protest if the Brazilian was sold to the La Liga heavyweights before September's transfer deadline day.

Coutinho handed in a transfer request on Friday just hours after Liverpool's owners released a statement saying he was not for sale and, speaking to Sky on their Friday night Premier League coverage of Arsenal vs Leicester, Carragher revealed he had been left shocked by Coutinho's decision to try and force a move through.

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He said: "I didn't think he would put in a transfer request, if I'm being honest. I said he's not that type of player - but I don't know what that means when you say that. We're all that type at different times.

"I was surprised by it. I don't know if it was a reaction to the club coming out and making a statement earlier in the day.

"I don't see any way the club would let Coutinho go. I said there'd be a riot if he went and I still stand by that, and I'll be part of that riot!"

Carragher has watched on, like the rest of the footballing world, as Coutinho's name has dominated the headlines over the past 10 days.

Barcelona are desperate to land the 25-year-old after they lost his compatriot Neymar to Paris Saint-Germain, and have already seen two bids rejected by the Reds for their star man.

Carragher likened the current saga to the time that ex-Liverpool striker Luis Suarez wanted to move to the Nou Camp, but he placated those comments by insisting that the Anfield-based club would have no time at all to bring in a ready-made replacement if they allowed Coutinho to leave at this stage of the window.

He added: "It's a similar situation to Luis Suarez, where he put in a transfer request and was made to stay by FSG at that time, but you always felt he'd only be at the club for 12 months.

"Before Coutinho put in this request I thought Liverpool would keep him and he'd probably go in 12 months.

"If this bid had come in at the end of May, someone offered over £100m and you had potential targets lined up, you could understand it.

"But Liverpool have got no time to replace him. They can't get players in at the moment anyway and they've got a lot of money to spend."