Report: Barcelona Edging Closer to €150m Agreement to Sign Coutinho on Five-Year Deal

Barcelona are reportedly in the final stages of negotiations with Liverpool over the transfer of Philippe Coutinho, in a deal which is set to exceed €150m.

Barcelona are reportedly in the final stages of negotiations with Liverpool over the transfer of Philippe Coutinho, in a deal which is set to exceed €150m.

The Brazilian playmaker has been in the sights of the Spanish giants since Neymar traded Camp Nou for Paris Saint-Germain in the summer, Liverpool initially stood firm to keep hold of Coutinho, however, the will of both the player and the La Liga side have caused a re-evaluation this month.

The talks between the clubs have seen the Reds demand €150m to sanction a deal, a fee which Cadena SER claim has been agreed upon, with an initial fixed €120m and guaranteed added bonuses which could then exceed €150m - a move which Barcelona hope to announce next week.

The report claims Coutinho will sign a five-and-a-half-year contract at Camp Nou, whilst Sport also states the 25-year-old's representatives are currently in Barcelona settling on the final contractual details. 

The deal would make Coutinho the most expensive player in history for a player who did not have a release clause in his contract, and the third highest transfer across world football. 

Despite the Reds' best efforts to convince Coutinho that a bright future awaits at Anfield, the Daily Mail have reported that the Premier League club are now resigned to losing their star midfielder, a stance which was confirmed when Liverpool's squad jetted off to Dubai on Friday night without the 25-year-old. 

A deal exceeding €150m will secure a hefty profit for the Merseyside club as they bought Coutinho for just £8.5m in 2013. 

A move to Camp Nou will see Coutinho reunite with his former Liverpool teammate Luis Suarez, who left Anfield for £75 in 2014 and has since gone on to win nine titles with the Spanish giants.