Barca 'close to completing Coutinho deal


Barcelona, overflowing with cash following the world-record sale of Neymar to Paris Saint-Germain, have been linked with Philippe Coutinho for weeks and now they believe they have his signature "in the bag," according to a report in the Sun.

It reports that Barca "are confident of landing the Liverpool playmaker in a £90 million deal this week" and believe they can do so despite the Anfield club having already rejected a bid of over £70 million.

The Liga giants "are preparing a fresh five-year deal" for Coutinho despite Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp having stressed he is not for sale, with the Sun saying Klopp "faces a battle" to keep his biggest star, who missed the weekend friendly win over Athletic Bilbao with a back problem.

Meanwhile, the Mirror reports that Liverpool are set to abandon their interest in Southampton defender Virgil van Dijk and "put their trust in the current centre-backs to provide the backbone in a title-challenging team."

Van Dijk is reported to remain keen to move to Anfield, but the Merseysiders could opt not to pursue a transfer that would potentially cost as much as £60 million.




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