Philippe Coutinho has been given no assurances that he will be allowed to leave Liverpool next summer.
The Brazilian is said to be distraught at not being able to join Barcelona this summer, Liverpool turning down three bids, the last one amounting to around £140million.
But unlike Luis Suarez, who was also being courted by a number of clubs, including Barcelona and Arsenal, in 2013, there has been no compromise.
Suarez was told he could go if a suitable offer came in the following summer and ended up joining Barca for £65million, 12 months later.
This time, Liverpool’s owners, Fenway Sports Group, have made no similar promise, determined to keep their best players at Anfield. That has upset Coutinho who has recovered from a mystery back injury to join up with Brazil for two World Cup qualifiers.
Samba teammate Neymar has revealed that the 25-year-old forward is full of angst.
He said: “Instead of being a happy time for him and for his family, it’s a moment of anguish, disappointment and sadness.”
Coutinho scored in Brazil’s 2-0 win over Ecuador after coming off the bench and is set to pay against Colombia on Tuesday night before returning to Merseyside.
Reds boss Jurgen Klopp then has the challenge of motivating him for Liverpool’s challenge for the Premier League title.
First up are big rivals Manchester City at the Etihad on Saturday.