Barcelona CEO Says Club Are 'Ready to Buy Coutinho' as January Window Looms
Having missed out on the signing of Philippe Coutinho during the summer, Barcelona are ready to make another offer for the Liverpool star in January.
Club CEO Oscar Grau has confirmed the Catalan side's intentions, but admits that the Brazilian won't come cheap.
The Spanish outfit made several attempts to snag Coutinho during the recently closed transfer window, but the Reds held on firmly, rebuffing all offers that came their way.
The player himself tried to force a transfer, only to have to deal with the disappointment of not getting his dream move in the end.
According to Barca's director Albert Soler, Liverpool had requested the sum of €200m, just short of what the amount Neymar was sold for. And speaking in a press conference (via Goal), Grau revealed that players would have to be sold to fund the move.
"We are ready to buy Coutinho in the winter market, or any player the technical staff request," he told reporters. "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."
Mundo Deportivo are reporting that the Reds have since promised Coutinho that he will be allowed to leave in January as long as the right offer is made. They are also claiming that the two clubs have kept the lines of communication open and are both keen to wrap things up, as Paris Saint-Germain are looking to get involved as well.
