Barcelona ready to listen to offers for £136m-rated Coutinho

Barcelona are ready to listen to offers for their most expensive signing Philippe Coutinho, but the former Liverpool man is determined to stay and fight for his place.

Barca made a dogged pursuit for Coutinho last season, eventually getting their man for the costly collective sum of £145million in a record deal.

The Brazilian has not made a smooth transition to the first team of the reigning Spanish champions, and speculation soon began to mount that Barca were willing to cash in on their man in favour of pursuing other star names.

It is now understood that the La Liga giants will listen to offers for Coutinho, a mere 14 months after his arrival in Catalonia, but would want to recoup at least £136m or a figure in the region.

The £90m asking prices quoted in some areas of the media in recent weeks is wide of the mark, though on a personal level Coutinho is desperate to make his Barca move a success.

Coutinho made the difficult decision to leave Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool and made his desire known to the Reds’ hierarchy that the Nou Camp was his dream destination. No talks between Barca and the playmaker regarding his future have taken place, though the club expect interest to emerge given the uncertain status of the No 7.

Representatives of Coutinho remain calm about the situation, and will not actively seek a move for their client in the summer. Coutinho arrived just before fellow Brazilian Artur Melo, who in contrast has made a considerable impact on the midfield of Ernesto Valverde’s side. Barca currently top the pile in Spain on 66 points from 28 matches played, and are on course to defend their title.

On the European stage they face Manchester United in the quarter-finals of the Champions League. The victors of the two-legged contest will go on to face either Liverpool or Porto, setting up the opportunity for Coutinho to come up against his former club. United and Premier League rivals Chelsea have both been linked with the 26-year-old.