- Philippe Coutinho to Barcelona transfer looks ever closer to becoming a reality
- Liverpool look set to lose their star player after his reps held talks in Barcelona this week
- Coutinho has agreed a contract and could join the Catalan giants in the first week of January
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After months of Philippe Coutinho to Barcelona transfer stories, it looks like the Liverpool playmaker is now just days away from sealing his move to the Nou Camp.
According to Sport, as translated by Sport Witness, the Brazilian’s reps met Barca chiefs this week to strike a deal and came out of their meeting happy, with the player’s contract apparently sorted and with growing confidence that he can finalise his move in the first week of January.
While no more specific deadline has been set for the transfer, it could be that Coutinho will be a Barcelona player in less than two weeks if things can be moved along as quickly as this report suggests.
This will undoubtedly be a huge blow for Liverpool, with Coutinho proving one of their best players in recent seasons and indeed one of the best attacking midfielders in Europe.
BBC Sport reported over the summer that the Reds turned down as many as three bids for the 25-year-old, but it now seems he’s finally set to get his move.
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Don Balon add that Lionel Messi has approved the potential arrival of Coutinho to Barcelona, with the Argentine keen on more creative talent to help him in the final third.
There has already been talk of Liverpool signing a replacement should they lose Coutinho to Barcelona, with L’Equipe linking them with interest in PSG attacker Julian Draxler.
It is worth noting that Don Balon’s report does not necessarily state that Liverpool will accept a bid from Barcelona, but Coutinho’s agreement may now put them under growing pressure to do so.
Another report from Don Balon, however, suggested the Merseyside giants could be persuaded to sell one of Coutinho or Mohamed Salah, but not both.