Liverpool and Barcelona have agreed a fee for Philippe Coutinho to complete a switch to the Camp Nou, according to Spanish daily 'Mundo Deportivo', who also underlined the importance of the upcoming January transfer window.
In January, the transfer merry-go-round that surrounded Coutinho last summer will pick up where it left off at the end of August. It has all the makings of a last episode, with all the parties involved finally getting closure one way or another. Now or never.
According to the Catalan publication, Liverpool will not stand in the way of Coutinho's exit, as long as their £128 million price tag is met. A deal is already in place for the 25-year-old to sign a five-year contract at the Camp Nou.
Barcelona want Coutinho to spearhead their bid to rule European football again and they may try to get a cut price for his services, taking into account the Brazilian's wish to leave Anfield. This was confirmed by some of his Brazil teammates, and last summer when he handed in a transfer request which was subsequently rejected.
The Catalans believe personal terms will not be an issue after an agreement was reached in August. But everything has a sell-by date and Barcelona will forget about Coutinho if they cannot land him in January.