Report: Barcelona 'Agree Contract' With Coutinho, Liverpool Yet to Accept Offer
Barcelona have reportedly struck an agreement over personal terms with the representatives of Liverpool star Philippe Coutinho, but any summer move to the Camp Nou will still depend on whether the Catalan giants can tempt the Reds to sell.
According to a claim that originates from Catalan radio station RAC1, Barça have agreed a contract with Coutinho and his people after dispatching a 'delegation' to Liverpool this week.
It is now said that all that stands in the way of the Brazilian following in the footsteps of Luis Suarez and trading Anfield for Camp Nou is the agreement on a formal transfer fee between the clubs. That, however, may well be easier said than done.
Coutinho signed a new long-term contract with Liverpool just last season and manager Jurgen Klopp has been adamant that the player the Reds landed for just £8.5m in 2013 won't be sold.
(Actual footage of Liverpool fans right now)
Image by Matt Barnes
Liverpool, who are due to return to the Champions League this season and face a two-legged qualifying round against a soon-to-be-discovered opponent later this month, are thought to have turned down one sizeable offer in the region of £72m (€80m) already.
Coutinho has long been linked with Barcelona in the past, but it remains to be seen what the motives behind the latest rumours are. It was established that the 'interest' last season came from agents trying to broker a deal rather than from anyone at Barça.
With Neymar, a close friend of Coutinho's, potentially set to leave Camp Nou for Paris Saint-Germain in the near future, it could be more agent-fed claims to try and push the Liverpool man into the frame as the marquee replacement that will be required.
Alternatively, it's possible that Barça have accepted that Neymar will be heading to PSG and are now themselves actively chasing Coutinho as the replacement.
A third option could be that this apparent effort to sign Coutinho is a last ditch attempt to appease Neymar by going after a friend he has expressed a desire to play with in the past.
