Barcelona promise to try again for Coutinho

BARCELONA are planning a fresh assault on Liverpool’s Philippe Coutinho in the January transfer window, the Catalan club’s CEO Oscar Grau promised on Wednesday. Barca were thwarted in their attempt to prise Coutinho away from Anfield during the summer with Liverpool placing a reported €200 million ($238 million) asking price on the midfielder. Despite the player trying to engineer a move, Liverpool turned down his late transfer request during the close season window. But Grau made clear the Spanish giants had not given up the chase. “We are ready to sign Coutinho, or any other player [during the winter transfer window],” he told a press conference. “We have the money,” Grau said.