Barcelona Confirm Deals For Coutinho, Dembele Are ‘Close’

The general manager of the Barcelona football club, Josep Segura claims the Catalan giants are “close” to signing Liverpool playmaker Philippe Coutinho and Dortmund forward Ousmane Dembele, after Wednesday’s 2-0 Super Cup loss to Real Madrid.

Coutinho has been heavily linked with a move to the Camp Nou after handing in a transfer request at Anfield, with reports in the Catalan press suggesting a deal is now just days away, although Liverpool insist the Brazil international is not for sale and have already rejected a £90.4m offer from Barcelona.

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On the other hand Dortmund CEO Hans-Joachim Watzke, however, has said that he was surprised to hear Segura’s comments on Dembele, who is currently serving an internal suspension at the club after skipping training last week in a bid to force through a move to Camp Nou.

 

In a statement to the stock market last week, Dortmund confirmed they had rejected Barca’s bid for the France international, reported to be in the region of €100m.

 

But in confirmation of a possible signing of the duo, Segura said: “We know that we have to strengthen the team and that’s what we will continue to do in the coming days. We have to help the team.

“We’re close [to Coutinho and Dembele], we’re talking about the conditions but until everything is finalised, we can’t say anything else. We hope they will wear a Barca shirt.”

 

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Paulinho looks set to join summer signings Gerard Deulofeu and Nelson Semedo at the Camp Nou on Thursday in a €40m move from Guangzhou Evergrande – but fans of the Catalan club are petitioning for the club to sign at least one true star to replace the €222m Brazilian.

 

The arrival of Coutinho and Dembele would see Barca’s summer spending rise above the €300m mark.

 

 

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