Liverpool Eye Versatile Barcelona Star as Coutinho Gossip Turns to Part-Exchange Deals

Barcelona are reportedly willing to offer players to Liverpool in part-exchange as they continue to try and negotiate a January move for star midfielder Philippe Coutinho, hoping that a potential makeweight will sweeten the deal and make the Reds drop the price.

Having rebuffed every Barça approach in summer, Liverpool remain determined to keep hold of Coutinho. But the Spanish media are unrelenting and Don Balon claims that other players are set to be included in future offers.

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The player that Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp is said to want from Camp Nou is the versatile Sergi Roberto, a talented individual capable of filling a number of positions.

However, Barça are ironically apparently unwilling to lose the 25-year-old and would therefore be offering players who are essentially cast-offs instead. It hardly makes for the most appealing proposition for Liverpool to consider.

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Arda Turan and Andre Gomes are two such players. Neither has been a regular for Ernesto Valverde's team this season, while Turan in particular has been linked with a Camp Nou exit for some time already - China has often been touted as the most likely destination.

Gossip has also linked both players with Arsenal in a similar part-exchange for Mesut Ozil.

Liverpool have apparently already made it clear to Barça that they don't want either.

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The third player Don Balon claim could form part of 'Operation Coutinho' is Gerard Deulofeu, a player previously known to English audiences from his two spells at Everton.

Having initially sold the winger to the Toffees in 2015 after an earlier loan at Goodison Park, Barça re-signed Deulofeu in June of this year when they activated a buy-back clause. But despite starting regularly at the start of the season, he has now fallen down the pecking order.