Will Philippe Coutinho still be a Liverpool player by the time the Reds take on Watford in their season opener on August 12?That’s the question all Liverpool fans are asking themselves this morning following the latest news from Spain on Tuesday night.According to RAC1 - per Mundo Deportivo - Barcelona have now reached an agreement with the Brazilian midfielder.All that needs to happen now, according to the report, is for the two clubs to agree on a fee and the transfer will be completed.Coutinho, as things stand, is close to becoming a Barcelona player.The report adds that the final price for Coutinho could exceed £80 million. The Catalan newspaper Sport revealed earlier this week that Liverpool will sell the 25-year-old if they receive an offer worth £89 million.Mundo claim that Barça officials will now travel to England in the hope of finalising the deal and securing Coutinho’s signature.
Liverpool fans are in meltdown
This news quickly filtered through to Liverpool fans on social media and, as you can probably imagine, there’s been a massive reaction.
Check out these tweets…
Mundo add that while Jurgen Klopp is desperate to hold onto Coutinho, the team’s star player, his sale would free up the funds to sign both Naby Keita and Virgil van Dijk.
How will Coutinho's move to Barcelona affect Neymar?
But what will Coutinho’s signing mean for the future of Neymar?
Neymar and Coutinho are close friends and it’s possible this is a ploy by Barcelona to convince the former to stay put.
Alternatively, this could be Barça’s way of bracing themselves for Neymar’s departure to Paris Saint-Germain.
Whatever their reasons for pursuing Coutinho, it promises to be a nervy few days for Liverpool supporters.