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Evening Standard
Evening Standard
Sport
Ben Hayward

Philippe Coutinho could be available for €80m transfer as Barcelona seek summer sale

Barcelona will consider bids of around €80 million for former Liverpool midfielder Philippe Coutinho this summer.

Coutinho signed for Barca from the Reds for €120m plus €40m in variables in January 2018, but was sent on loan to Bayern Munich after just a season and a half at Camp Nou.

Bayern have an option to sign the Brazilian in a permanent deal for €120m this summer, but the German champions are not willing to pay that fee and Barca will be forced to lower their asking price for the 27-year-old.

And although they will not say so publicly, bids in the region €80-90m will be entertained by the Catalan club as they look to raise funds for new players this summer.

As things stand, Barca's two top transfer targets will be Inter Milan striker Lautaro Martinez and Paris Saint-Germain forward Neymar.

While the financial impact of coronavirus could mean bringing in both is impossible, at least one big sale will be needed to fund summer signings and Coutinho now looks unlikely to receive a second chance at Camp Nou.

The Brazilian almost signed for Tottenham on loan last summer before moving to Bayern and Barca see the Premier League as his most likely destination after his impressive spell at Anfield.

Coutinho, who remains the most expensive signing in Barcelona's history, has played 76 times for the Catalan club, scoring 21 goals.

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