For months the Catalan press have been reporting Liverpool want €150m for Philippe Coutinho and Barcelona won’t pay that. On Friday there’s two different takes from the Catalan media.
Sport say Barcelona know that going up to €150m is now increasingly the path they’ll have to take, but Mundo Deportivo state Liverpool’s asking price is €145m. It’s just a difference of €5m, but Sport’s sounds slightly more believable, if only because it’s a rounder number.
Mundo Deportivo state that sources close to a deal have informed them Liverpool have been in some sort of talks to sell Coutinho for ‘some time’, and now it’s felt things are getting closer.
The Catalan newspaper reiterate Barcelona’s willingness to pay €80m plus a further €30m in bonuses. So Mundo Deportivo say Barca are trying to get Liverpool’s €145m asking price down, whereas Sport say Barca are starting to accept they may need to pay €150m.
