Barcelona are ‘a matter of hours’ away from signing Philippe Coutinho from Liverpool, according to reports in Spain.
Sport claim that Barca’s representatives travelled to Liverpool on Tuesday to conclude a deal and are aiming to unveil the 25-year-old as their new signing later week.
The report claims that Barcelona’s offer will be worth €90 million (£82m) plus variables.
Sport also claim that Liverpool’s owners have agreed to sell Coutinho to Barcelona, despite strong resistance from Jurgen Klopp, who wants the midfielder to stay at Anfield.
Coutinho is viewed as a replacement for Neymar, who joined Paris Saint-Germain in a world record deal worth £198m last week.
Publicly, Liverpool have remained adamant that Coutinho is not for sale but Graeme Souness believes his former club will be unable to stop the midfielder from leaving.
‘I don’t think you can [keep him],’ Souness told Sky Sports.
‘The chance to play for a team that would suit his style of play, I don’t think he can say no to it, as hard as that is for Liverpool to accept.
‘Ultimately if he wants to go he will go, as much as the club won’t want him to. He’s on a contract but if the big players want to go these days then they get their own way.’
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