Liverpool could receive Barcelona star as part of Coutinho deal, report claims

Reports of a possible Philippe Coutinho move to Barcelona refuse to go away.

Not for the first time in recent years, the Spanish giants are said to be interested in taking the Brazilian to the Camp Nou and have reportedly had an opening bid for the player knocked back by Liverpool. Despite making it perfectly clear that he has no intention to sell Coutinho last week, the latest report from Mundo Deportivo suggests that Jürgen Klopp may be open to doing a deal on the basis that Liverpool receive a Barca player. The report claims Klopp is keen on a move for Rafinha and has gone as far as asking Liverpool’s sporting director Michael Edwards to make sure the Anfield club stays ahead of their rivals in the race to sign the 24-year-old. Klopp is said to have been interested in the Brazilian before the recent flurry of reports linking Coutinho with a move to La Liga, and is believed to have been readying a bid. Ideally, it's thought Klopp intends to try and bring in Rafinha - who is eager to secure regular first team football ahead of next summer's World Cup - while keeping Coutinho on Merseyside. However, Barca are thought to be hopeful they can use the Liverpool boss' interest in Rafinha to help secure a move for Coutinho. The suggestion is that the Spanish club would be willing to use him as a makeweight in any deal for the Liverpool star, lowering the fee they would have to pay. Something tells us we haven't heard the last of this one.