Philippe Coutinho 'Agrees Terms' with Barcelona Ahead of Improved Transfer Offer
JULY 26, 2017
Barcelona have reportedly made a significant step in their pursuit of Philippe Coutinho as the Brazilian has "agreed terms" with the Catalans over a move to the Camp Nou.
According to Catalan radio station RAC1 (via MailOnline's Pete Jenson), Barca will now make an improved offer to Liverpool for the playmaker having seen an initial €80 million (£72 million) bid rejected.
The Spanish club fear Liverpool may hold out for as much as €100 million (£89.5 million), while it is hoped that signing Coutinho will help to persuade his fellow Brazilian Neymar to remain at Barcelona, added Jenson.
Neymar has been very vocal in the past about his desire for Coutinho, 25, to join him at the Camp Nou, per MailOnline's Joe Strange.
And the Brazilian superstar has been heavily linked with a surprise move to Paris Saint-Germain of late, per Steve Bates in the Mirror.
It will be a surprise if Coutinho does end up at Barca this summer, though, as he only signed a new contract with Liverpool to 2022 back in January.
Reds manager Jurgen Klopp has also insisted he is not for sale, per Squawka:
So even if Barcelona meet what they believe to be Liverpool's €100 million asking price for Coutinho, there is no guarantee they will be successful with their pursuit.
Coutinho has been at Liverpool since 2013, when he signed from Inter Milan for £8.5 million, and he has been arguably the club's most important player over the last four seasons—in which he has netted 31 goals and provided 24 assists in the Premier League, per WhoScored.com.
The Anfield outfit are improving under Klopp and should return to the UEFA Champions League group stages next term assuming they get through their play-off clash next month.
Coutinho could well end up at Barcelona eventually, but it does not seem likely that he will leave Liverpool this summer.
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