Liverpool seem to be bowing to Barcelona pressure…
Liverpool’s season could be about to get a great deal worse as reports from Spain suggest the Reds are now ready to accept a lower transfer fee from Barcelona for star player Philippe Coutinho.
The Brazil international remains a top target for the Catalan giants ahead of January, following BBC Sport‘s report that they failed three times to sign him over the summer.
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Liverpool transfer news
Coutinho is one of the best players in the Premier League on his day and vital to Liverpool’s chances of reviving their season after a recent slump in form.
However, it seems Jurgen Klopp may not be able to hold on to him for much longer – or indeed that he is becoming increasingly open to letting the 25-year-old go, according to Mundo Deportivo.
The report claims Liverpool are now likely to ask for around £132million for Coutinho in January – significantly less than they were rumoured to be asking for at points in the summer.
Successful Coutinho talks for Barcelona?
This follows reports last week from Mundo Deportivo that Barca were set for talks with Liverpool over reviving their deal for Coutinho, and while their latest update does not mention how these meetings went or if they have indeed taken place yet, it may be that any initial discussions have proven successful for the La Liga club.
It may be that after their slow start to the season, Liverpool have been forced to accept that they cannot possibly persuade a player of Coutinho’s calibre to carry on at Anfield.
Still, this saga has had many twists and turns and could continue to do so, with reports this week also claiming Lionel Messi was pushing for Barcelona to go after Arsenal’s Mesut Ozil instead of Coutinho, according to Don Balon.
Don Balon have also claimed Liverpool could be increasingly open to negotiating Coutinho’s sale if it means they can land a Barcelona player in return, with Klopp keen on either Ivan Rakitic, Andre Gomes or Carles Alena.