Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp insists the club will not sell Brazilian playmaker Philippe Coutinho or any other key players before next season.

The Brazil international has been linked with a possible move to Paris Saint-Germain in recent weeks following his outstanding Premier League form in 2016-17.

Klopp, however, has no concerns over the futures of any of his first-team stars.

‘Not with only Phil, but it’s a good thing to talk about in the transfer window because the world thinks improving is only about bringing in new players,’ he told a news conference.

‘Nobody thinks that the players we already have will make the next step, which is also a nice idea. We use the transfer window, of course, because it gives us an opportunity, but the main thing I think about is how we can make the next step with the players we had last season.

‘The good news is we didn’t lose – and we will not lose – a player we want to keep this summer. That’s the best news, actually, and then we’ll see who we can bring into the squad. I expect a lot of progress from the players based on their experiences from the last years.’

Liverpool broke their transfer record to sign Mohamed Salah from Roma for an initial €42-million last month and the Egypt international scored on his debut in the friendly draw with Wigan Athletic last Friday.

Salah enjoyed a strong spell in Serie A with Fiorentina and then Roma but his return to England has been met with some scepticism following his dismal time at Chelsea, where he failed to make an impact over 12 months after signing in January 2014.

Klopp, however, has no doubt he will prove a hit.

‘A lot of players have shown it is quite easy to struggle at Chelsea. [Kevin] De Bruyne is one,’ he said. ‘The only thing that we really ignored was what he did at Chelsea.

‘We played against him when he was at Basel and we didn’t know him. We played with [Borussia] Dortmund against him and when I watching him, it was “what the f***!”. It was unbelievable!

‘The moment I said ‘let’s go for him’ he was already at Chelsea. Then he struggled at Chelsea because it was too early.

‘Then he went to Fiorentina and then Roma. The question is ‘what did you not see in him?’ because he played all-inclusive football. He was quick, he played a lot of games, he created goals, chances, he scored by himself. He was involved in pretty much everything for Egypt at the Africa Cup of Nations.’

– This story originally appeared on FourFourTwo.co.za