Spanish paper Mundo Deportivo reports that Barcelona are close to admitting defeat in their attempts to lure Philippe Coutinho away from Liverpool. The Catalan giants had an offer of £114m knocked back on Friday.
It is the third bid that Liverpool have rejected, having also turned down offers of £70m and £90m earlier in the summer. The player has since submitted a transfer request, but this has not caused Liverpool to back down.
The player signed a new 5 and a half year contract in January with no escape clauses, redoubling their resolve. Barcelona have identified Coutinho and Borussia Dortmund’s Ousmane Dembele as replacements for Neymar, who joined Paris Saint Germain for £198m this month.
Mundo Deportivo says that, with time running out in the transfer window, Barca will now turn their attentions to PSG’s Argentine winger Angel di Maria, who once played for Real Madrid. Barcelona have signed Paulinho this summer and are set to wrap up a deal for Nice’s Jean Michel Seri too.
