Philipppe Coutinho has accepted contract terms with Barcelona ahead of his expected January switch from Liverpool, according to Spanish reports.
Barcelona were desperate to sign Coutinho over the summer but despite repeated attempts the La Liga giants failed to convince the Reds to sell their most prized asset.
The Brazilian had handed in an official transfer request but Liverpool turned down Barcelona’s three back-to-back bids for Coutinho and he ended up remaining at Anfield and has now displayed good form for the Premier League club.
Barcelona are still keen on roping in the Brazilian with Coutinho reportedly desperate to join Lionel Messi and Co. at the Nou Camp.
Barcelona are reportedly eyeing to launch an offer of £135m to tempt Liverpool to sell Coutinho in January.
According to Spanish newspaper Sport, Barcelona bosses have been negotiating Coutinho’s wages with his agent since the summer.
The report says that both the parties have now agreed in principle over a £10.6m-a-season (around £200,000 a week) contract for Coutinho, which will keep the Brazilian at the Nou Camp until 2023.
Speculations suggest that Liverpool have softened their stance on Coutinho and are willing to sell the Brazilian if Barcelona make the right offer.
Sport claim that negotiations between Coutinho’s agent and Barca bosses ended on Tuesday with an agreement in place.
The Brazilian’s representatives will now hold discussions with Liverpool’s owners Fenway Sports Group and will hope to persuade them to sell – with reports claiming that they could reach an agreement within the next few days.
Barcelona are desperate to rope in Coutinho as they continue their hunt to replace Neymar, who made a switch to PSG on a world-record £200m deal in August.
The Catalan giants have roped in Ousmane Dembele for £136m from Borussia Dortmund but the French winger endured a nightmare start to his debit campaign in La Liga as he picked up a season-ending injury after playing just three games for Barcelona this term.
Coutinho will not be able to play in the Champions League for Barcelona as he has already played for Liverpool in the European top-flight competition this season.
