Barca desperate to sign Coutinho

BARCELONA are ready to pay £140million (R2.34 billion) to break Liverpool’s resolve to keep Philippe Coutinho as the January push to secure the Brazilian forward begins.

The Spanish club hope to succeed with an initial payment of £105-million (R1.75 billion), followed by £35million (R585.6 million) in add-ons based on appearances and success, which would make Coutinho the second-most expensive footballer in history, behind Paris St-Germain’s Neymar. Kylian Mbappe would overtake Coutinho once his loan move to PSG from Monaco is made permanent in a £166-million (R2.78 billion) deal this summer.

Liverpool do not want to sell the 25year-old and are making strenuous efforts to keep him. Despite talks, the player remains intent on heading to the Nou Camp this month. Liverpool are not chasing replacements and are focusing on convincing Coutinho he can achieve Champions League ambitions at Anfield next year. They are not him.

Jurgen Klopp, the manager, has again refused to guarantee Coutinho will stay. He did insist, however, the transfer saga would not cast a shadow over Liverpool’s coming games. Coutinho and Mohamed Salah will be notable absentees in tonight’s FA Cup third-round tie against Everton, both injured.

Klopp chose his words carefully on Coutinho’s future. “I am not interested in Barcelona. Sorry. What can I say about what they do?” he said. “It is always the same. This year, it is Phil. Another year, it is somebody else. There is nothing to say until there is something to say.”

Given Barcelona’s interest in Coutinho first surfaced in July, Klopp rejected the suggestion it would be a distraction to his squad.

“They are professional footballers. Sometimes they are in the middle of the story and sometimes they are sat next to the guy in the dressing room succeeding in persuading who is in the middle of the story,” he said.

“We are focused on what we have an influence on. All the rest we have to ignore. It is clear there is a lot of excitement around.”

Not even the startling error of Barcelona’s kit sponsors prematurely advertising the sale of Coutinho shirts has riled Klopp.

“All the social media things I will never get,” he said.

Liverpool’s priority is the derby at Anfield. Loris Karius will start and Virgil van Dijk should at least make the squad, with Klopp considering whether to give his £75-million (R1.25 billion) centre-back a debut.

Klopp will not take the opportunity to make the kind of changes that earned broad criticism when Liverpool made an early exit against Wolves a year ago.

“The line-up will be a line-up which shows all the respect we have for the FA Cup,” said Klopp. — The Daily Telegraph