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It was only a matter of time before one of the Catalan sport newspapers convinced themselves Virgil van Dijk’s transfer is pivotal in the Coutinho saga.

Step forward Sport, who on Friday state ‘The transfer is considered as a gesture of Liverpool to mitigate with their fans the future exit of Coutinho.’

So, the idea is that whilst there’s still a big positivity around Liverpool spending a ransom on Van Dijk, supporters won’t mind too much if Coutinho is sold to Barcelona.

It’s not the craziest argument but given it’s hardly a secret the Brazilian wants out, and fans can surely understand the lure of Barcelona, there was hardly going to be riots on the streets of Liverpool anyway.

Perhaps more pressing, Sport also point out the obvious financial outlay, and that Coutinho’s sale would come in handy to get that money, and more, back into the club’s coffers.

Barcelona interpret the Van Dijk deal as ‘great news’, say Sport, and daily talks are now taking place, with Coutinho’s representatives seemingly running between the two clubs trying to get a deal sorted out.

Confidence continues to build in Barcelona.