Liverpool FC responds after Nike pulls online ad claiming FC Barcelona had signed Philippe Coutinho
The manager of Liverpool FC has commented after an online ad from Nike, which claimed that current Liverpool FC player Philippe Coutinho had transferred to FC Barcelona, has been pulled from the sporting giant's website.
Nike pulls off the website ad claiming Philippe Coutinho's transfer to FC Barcelona
Over the weekend, Nike – Barcalona's kit sponsor – advertised one of the club's shirts with Coutinho's name on the back alongside the text: 'Philippe Coutinho is ready to light up Camp Nou'.
The image quickly went viral, with audiences speculating whether Nike had made an error, or broken the news early.
Coutinho is sponsored by Nike and wears the brand's boots.
While there has been no official comment from either team, Liverpool’s manager Jürgen Klopp has laughed off the ad, saying that he was "uninterested" in the claim from Nike according to a report in the Liverpool Echo.
Klopp added: “I heard about it. I can't tell you about it though because for different reasons I couldn’t be less interested in anything in the world. But somebody told me and I thought 'wow! Top story!'”
Social Media was buzzing with chatter about the ad, with speculation mounting over the next installment of FC Barcelona's public pursuit of Coutinho.
Philippe Coutinho might be going to Barcelona. Or, someone changed the code on Nike’s website. The link to ‘Shop Coutinho’s Look’ doesn’t exist. pic.twitter.com/MQi876FL6n
— Jack Grimse (@JackGrimse) December 31, 2017