Michael Owen certainly divides opinion as a pundit, but as a striker, no one could dispute his quality in his prime.

Bursting onto the scene as a teenager, Owen was a lightning quick forward with an eye for goal that never left him.

The former England international, who scored 40 times for the Three Lions, made his name with Liverpool with a cracking 158 goals in 297 games.

Spells with Real Madrid, Newcastle, Manchester United and a brief stint with Stoke followed, but it's clear that Liverpool was and always will be close to his heart.

While he might sometimes state the obvious as a pundit, the 37-year-old has some interesting views on Barcelona's pursuit of Liverpool star Philippe Coutinho.

"I think they played a really good move in signing him to a long contract because if the worst came they would get a lot of money for him, but I don't see it happening," said Owen via the Liverpool Echo.

"Other than Coutinho not being happy I can't see how there is going to be a deal. It's inevitable that a lot of good players want to ply their trade in Spain but the situation with the length of contract has to count for something.

"Liverpool don't need to sell and the noises out of the club are that they want to reinforce, grow the numbers to compete on all levels.

"This year they certainly seem to be in buying mode, not selling."

The contract gives Liverpool the negotiation power that Arsenal do not currently hold over Alexis Sanchez. At the end of the day, unless Coutinho requests to leave the club, Liverpool hold all the cards.

"There is no other way to interpret it - he is not available to be sold," boss Jurgen Klopp said on Monday.

"The word 'not' means there is no interpretation for that. It's nothing new, is it?"

Liverpool have been in seriously impressive form in pre-season and to be only a few pieces away from being a title contending side.

Losing Coutinho would certainly set them back dramatically - a nice Owen-esque observation for you there.