'Coutinho and Dembele close to signing for Barcelona'

Barcelona's recent Supercopa defeat at the hands of Real Madrid (5-1 on aggregate) has made alarm bells go off at the Camp Nou. Following Neymar's departure there is a sense of weakness to Valverde's squad, but the Catalan club are confident they will bring in new recruits before the window closes.

Both Coutinho and Dembele are reportedly keen on the move, while their respective clubs Liverpool and Dortmund have rejected identical bids in the region of £90m. Barcelona general manager Josep Segura has claimed that, despite hindrances in negotiations, their protracted £180m pursuit is 'close' to completion.

'We know that we have to strengthen the team and that's what we will continue to do in the coming days', Segura told TV3. 

'We have to help the team. We're close [to Coutinho and Dembele], we're talking about the conditions but until everything is finalised, we can't say anything else. We hope they will wear a Barca shirt', the club's general manager added.

Barca midfielder Sergio Busquets underlined his side's urgent need for reinforcements after the heavy defeat in the Spanish Super Cup: 'It's clear signings are needed', Busquets said. 'We have to strengthen the squad. We need attacking players to compensate for Neymar'.

'But every position can be strengthened and the more quality players that come in the better. I hope the best players arrive and that they generate competition and give the coach decisions to make', the Spain international said.