Barcelona are reportedly willing to cut their losses and accept a bid lower than their ideal asking price to offload Philippe Coutinho.
The Brazilian midfielder is expected to leave the Nou Camp this summer after failing to prove a hit since his transfer from Liverpool in 2018.
Coutinho had hoped to secure a permanent switch to loan club Bayern Munich but the Bundesliga giants have decided not to exercise their option to buy.
Barca have now been left in a difficult position as they plan on using any cash from Coutinho’s sale to fund moves for other targets.
The Evening Standard report that the Catalan club are now prepared to accept bids in the region of £70-80million to part with the 27-year-old.
That is a significant mark down from the deal they agreed with Liverpool, which cost an initial £106m up front with a further £36m due in add-ons – some of which have already been met.
Barca boss Quique Setien was open to the idea of Coutinho returning to the club and joining back up with the first-team.
But given the current coronavirus crisis, Barca need to mke one major sale to boost their transfer kitty, and Coutinho is the man set to make way.
Inter Milan striker Lautaro Martinez and PSG’s Neymar are top of Barcelona’s wishlist, but neither will come cheap.
That rules out any likelihood of a loan agreement for Coutinho, unless it includes an obligation to buy.
Coutinho has still managed to record a decent season in Germany, providing nine goals and eight assists in 32 appearances across all competitions, with only 22 of those coming as starts.
Several Premier League clubs have shown an interest in the playmaker, most notably Tottenham, but there have been no concrete enquiries as yet.
Chelsea, Man Utd and Arsenal have also been mooted as possible destinations.
Share your thoughts