Barcelona Reportedly Place Huge Price Tag on Philippe Coutinho Amidst Shock PSG Interest

Barcelona have slapped a huge €400m asking price on the head of star midfielder Philippe Coutinho, just months after he joined the club from Liverpool.

The 26-year-old playmaker only moved to Camp Nou in January, joining from the Reds for a fee believed to be around the £142m mark after add ons. Coutinho has made an impressive start to life with the Catalan giants, and as a result of his good form, has emerged as a shock candidate for Ligue 1 moneybags Paris Saint-Germain.

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The Parisiens are reported to have held talks with Coutinho's agent over a proposed €270m switch, as they attempt to appease any potential unhappiness in the French capital that superstar Neymar may have.

Spanish outlet Mundo Deportivo are now reporting that Barça club sources have made it clear that Coutinho will not be allowed to leave for anything less than his release clause figure - which is believed to be around the €400m (£350m) mark.

Were PSG to stump up that astonishing amount of money, they would smash the world transfer record that they themselves set when they purchased Neymar from Barcelona for €222m (£198m) last summer.

A deal is highly unlikely though given PSG's troubles with Financial Fair Play rules in recent times, with the Ligue 1 champions having raised around €60m in player sales purely to avoid paying a substantial fine for breaching regulations.

Whether Coutinho would be interested in leaving the Catalan giants is also a bone of contention. The Brazilian maestro was courted for over a year by Barcelona before eventually sealing what he described as a 'dream move' from Liverpool.

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Coutinho has not only impressed at club level, with his importance to the Brazilian national team evident at this summer's World Cup. Unfortunately his performances were not enough to inspire his country beyond the quarter-final stage, with Brazil crashing out to Belgium 2-1 in Kazan.