Liverpool’s hopes of keeping Philippe Coutinho this January look slim at best following the latest updates on this long-running transfer saga.
The Brazil international was the subject of strong interest from Barcelona during the summer, with BBC Sport reporting at the time that Liverpool had rejected as much as £114million for their star player.
Coutinho has since returned to action for the Reds and shown glimpses of his best form again, though Mundo Deportivo claim he feels he’s been promised an exit in the January transfer window.
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According to those claims, Coutinho is expecting to be allowed to leave after honouring his side of a deal to play at least the Champions League group stage matches for Liverpool as they prioritise progress in Europe’s top club competition.
This will supposedly not put Barcelona off bringing the 25-year-old in in the middle of the season, even if he is cup-tied in European competition.
While the report states Coutinho is ready to try again to push for a move to the Nou Camp, Barca chief executive Oscar Grau has also hinted a deal could be on.
‘We are ready to buy Coutinho in the winter market, or any player the technical staff request,’ he is quoted in the Guardian.
Mundo Deportivo claim Barcelona boss Ernesto Valverde remains fixated on landing Coutinho to boost his squad for their ventures in La Liga and the Copa del Rey, so it looks like Grau will be getting on the phone to Liverpool again at some stage in the next few months.