Barca agree €160m deal with Liverpool

According to Yahoo Sports, Philippe Coutinho has been told he will be a Barcelona player before the end of this week after Liverpool agreed a British and Spanish record transfer fee for the Brazil international. Barca will pay up to €160million for the attacking midfielder if all performance-related variables are met.

Coutinho was informed that Liverpool owner Fenway Sports Group had finally acceded to his request to exit the Anfield club before he left Merseyside on national team duty. The 25-year-old – who has not played for Liverpool since the beginning of August, missing a series of training sessions with what the club described as a “sore back” and illness – was yesterday declared “in perfect condition to play” by Brazil’s medical staff

Liverpool are understood to have asked Barcelona to delay the completion of Coutinho’s transfer to allow them to secure a replacement. Discussions have been held with AS Monaco over the purchase of Thomas Lemar, while Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain remains a cheaper option