Barcelona Reportedly Open to Meeting Philippe Coutinho January Asking Price

Barcelona are reportedly opening up to the idea of meeting Liverpool's valuation of star midfielder Philippe Coutinho this winter, with personal terms said to have already been agreed with the player. 

Sport Witness cited a report from Catalan newspaper Sport, which said the Blaugrana are coming to terms with the fact they'll have to fork out up to €150 million (£132 million) if they're to sign the player in January.

That was the same figure Liverpool were said to be demanding in order to sell Coutinho over the summer, although BBC Sport's Phil McNulty reported Barca's highest offer at the time was worth £114 million.

The Reds showed great resilience to retain the services of such a valued member of their squad, but Andy Kelly of the Liverpool Echo recently suggested Coutinho doesn't have long left at Anfield, whether an exit be in January or the summer months:

Since emerging from the most recent transfer window still a Liverpool player, Coutinho has regained his form and again illustrated himself as a pivotal component in manager Jurgen Klopp's setup.

His performances are a poisoned chalice in that the Reds will be glad of his contribution, although Yahoo's Andrew Gaffney recently reported Barca's interest also hasn't waned as a result:

Moises Llorens of Spanish newspaper AS also referenced reports from Catalan dailies Sport and Mundo Deportivo, which detailed an annual salary of €14 million (£12.4 million) has already been agreed with the player.

Liverpool might have thought the transfer saga would have at least reached its end until the summer, but a recent Sport front cover suggested the pace is once again picking up prior to January, via Sport Witness:

Barca are top of La Liga and through to the Copa del Rey round of 16, not to mention making it through to the UEFA Champions League knockout stages.

That being said, adding Coutinho to their squad would provide a midseason boost in overall quality, and team-mate Simon Mignolet recently gave the South American a glowing review, per Anfield HQ:

The line taken over the summer was that Coutinho could arrive at the Camp Nou as an eventual successor to Andres Iniesta, who will turn 34 in May and is already seeing his involvement diminish somewhat this term.

The Catalan club's determination to land Klopp's talisman doesn't appear to have waned since missing out on Coutinho over the summer, and a more serious intent to meet his asking price could still result in a winter sale.

from Bleacher Report - Front Page http://ift.tt/2AnDHfk