Barcelona chief makes admission about Coutinho which is certain to please Liverpool fans

Barcelona’s Sporting director Robert Fernandez has admitted that signing Liverpool star Philippe Coutinho is proving to be “difficult”.

The Spanish giants are working hard to try and lure the Brazilian before the end of the transfer window and have so far seen bids of £72 million and £90 million rejected.

Liverpool are naturally hesitant to sell the 25-year-old, given that he was a key part of the club last season and played a huge role in helping them achieve Champions League qualification.

Barcelona’s general manager Pep Segura has revealed that deals for Coutinho and Borussia Dortmund striker Ousmane Dembele are imminent though Fernandez conceded that they are “difficult”.

He said about the situation, “Not just Barca but any team looking for top quality players are getting involved in a very difficult situation in this market”.

“Why? Because the market is where clubs like us want to sign top quality players. There’s no buy-out clauses so that makes things trickier.”