Coutinho agrees terms with Barcelona

Liverpool are facing the prospect of losing one of their key players this summer as Barcelona step up their effort to lure Philippe Coutinho to the Camp Nou ahead of next season.

The Catalans have reignited their interest in the Brazilian midfielder after failing in their attempts at signing Paris Saint-Germain's Marco Verratti and have now made Coutinho their number one summer transfer target.

The Reds have already rejected Barcelona's first offer of around €80m (£72m), but they are not giving up the chase and are expected to return with another offer closer to the £80m mark. Recent reports suggested that the La Liga giants have sent representatives to London to hold talks with the Brazilian's camp and persuade Liverpool to sell one of their key midfielders.

Jurgen Klopp has made it clear that Liverpool will not sell players they want to keep, but the Daily Mail via Catalan Radio RAC1 are reporting that Coutinho has already agreed personal terms with only the fee holding up the deal. The report claims that Barcelona are keen to bring in another Brazilian in the hope of further convincing Neymar, who has been linked with a move to PSG, to remain at the Camp Nou.

Coutinho is viewed by Barcelona as a long-term replacement for skipper Andres Iniesta, who is in the final-year of his contract. Neymar has backed their pursuit of the Liverpool midfielder with whom he shares a close relationship from their time together with the national team.

The 25-year-old, however, is at the mercy of the club after agreeing a new five-year deal until the summer of 2022 earlier this year. Liverpool have made three signings thus far this summer including a club record deal for Mohamed Salah and will be reluctant to sanction a move for Coutinho, who is arguably their best player at the moment.