Barcelona to agree £125million Philippe Coutinho deal with Liverpool THIS WEEK
BARCELONA will this week try to finally agree a deal which will see them sign Philippe Coutinho for a British record £125million in the summer.
Posted Sunday, December 31, 2017 by Express.co.uk
Philippe Coutinho is off to Barcelona in the summer
The Spanish giants will on Wednesday host a meeting when they will hope to reach an agreement with the Reds for the Brazilian playmaker.
Coutinho agreed personal terms with Barca last summer but Liverpool’s American owners Fenway Sports Group rejected all attempts to get them to sell him.
But it now seems that Barcelona will finally get their man with the only question remaining of how the deal will be financially structured.
Liverpool want a substantial upfront payment with less of the fee dependant on add ons as Barcelona originally offered in the summer.
Express Sport understands that both clubs are keen to settle the deal for once and all so doesn’t drag on until the transfer window closes at the end of the month.
Coutinho, 25, handed in a transfer request in the summer as he tried to push through a move to the Nou Camp.
But the Reds held firm and rebuffed offers from the Catalan club.
Coutinho was made Barca’s top target after Neymar shocked the footballing world in a £200m deal to Paris St-Germain.
But the club were forced into signing their second priority replacement Ousmane Dembele from Dortmund for £135.5m.
Barcelona made it clear they would go for Coutinho again in the winter.
Chief executive Oscar Grau said in October: “We are ready to buy Coutinho in the winter market, or any player the technical staff request.
Philippe Coutinho has been part of Liverpool's 'Fab Four' combo this season
"But it is important to adjust ourselves, so if there are to be arrivals, there must be exits as well.
"We must forget about the price paid for Neymar last summer.
"After taxes we received about €188m in income and a direct financial impact on the club’s treasury of €144m.”
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