Barcelona make third bid for Philippe Coutinho

Barcelona have reportedly lodged a third bid to sign Liverpool midfielder Philippe Coutinho this summer. The Brazil international has been earmarked as the prime option to occupy the left-wing position following Neymar's world-record move to Paris Saint-Germain.

The Reds have already knocked back two offers of £72m and £90m for Coutinho from the Catalan giants, but according to O Jogo, a third bid worth £118m has been made to test the Reds' resolve.

Ernesto Valverde saw his side slump to an embarrassing 5-1 aggregate defeat to Real Madrid in the Spanish Super Cup, and he is now desperate to have the Brazilian in his ranks prior to this weekend's La Liga opener against Real Betis.

Coutinho had played no part in the Reds' games against Watford and Hoffenheim, and he appears to be heading to the Camp Nou with general manager Pep Segura hinting that the deal is close.

"Coutinho and Dembele are both close. We are hopeful that they will end up wearing the Barca shirt," he told RAC1 following Barcelona's 2-0 defeat to Real Madrid at the Bernabeu last night.