ESPN broke a story today that Liverpool have agreed terms with Barcelona for the sale of Philippe Coutinho. Liverpool fans were not fooled.
You’ll have to do better than that. ESPN are reporting today that Liverpool and Barcelona have agreed terms on a move for Philippe Coutinho. The article quotes sources close to Barca via their Spanish channel ESPN Deportes. The fees quoted are £81 million for the base fee rising to £108 million with add ons.
The dubious sourcing of the article coupled with figures that seem low in this market has led most Liverpool fans to reject the story our of hand. Other reports this morning were that a delegation from Barcelona were heading over to Anfield to seal the deal.
Local journalists shot down those rumors saying Liverpool have no intention of selling and no meetings with Barca are planned. Confirming this are genuine reports from Germany saying Barca officials are actually over in Dortmund agreeing a £100 million deal for Ousmane Dembele. That all sounds more likely. The reports from Spain are attempts to unsettle Coutinho and provide leverage in their negotiations with Dortmund.
After the Neymar sale everyone knows that Barca have money to splash. They have to create a sense of other options so they do not get held to ransom (too badly) by selling clubs.
Of course there are bad meffs like Mourinho-bum-kisser-in-chief Duncan Castles who is using his Yahoo Sports column to try to further stir the pot. You have to be much smarter than that to fool the Kopites.
Next: 5 Liverpool players make FanSided's Top 50 list
Rather, pleasingly for Liverpool fans, Coutinho is in training and recovering from a sore back. He is going about his business in the professional manner you would expect from someone with his class.