Barcelona set sights on two records in Coutinho pursuit

The Brazilian will not come cheap for the Catalan giants, who have made their intentions clear ever since stepping up the chase for the Liverpool star last summer.

It is understood Barcelona will put on the table an estimated fee of €150 million for Coutinho, exceeding previous January transfer figures by far. Incidentally, Liverpool have just set the current record with their purchase of €84 million Virgil van Dijk from Southampton.

The staggering fee would also surpass the current record for a January signing in Spain, which belongs to Klaas-Jan Huntelaar and Real Madrid. The striker arrived from Ajax in 2009, courtesy of €27 million. A fee that appears insignificant in comparison.

According to 'Sport', Coutinho has decided never to play for Liverpool again so that his €150 million move is completed as soon as possible. The figure would set another record, becoming Barcelona's all-time largest transfer by exceeding the €105 million paid for Ousmane Dembele in the summer.