Liverpool to sanction Coutinho sale once replacement is found

Liverpool will reportedly permit the sale of Philippe Coutinho to Barcelona, once they find a suitable replacement in the transfer market. Monaco's Thomas Lemar and Arsenal's Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain are the probable candidates to replace the Brazil international.

The Reds have previously rebuffed three bids from Barca for their leading performer, but according to Yahoo! Sport, a fourth offer worth £148million has proved sufficient to do business.

In spite of this, Jurgen Klopp's side have urged Barca to delay their transfer of Coutinho until they recruit a fresh attacker to their ranks.

Monaco's Lemar remains the priority target for the Reds boss, but they may find it hard to negotiate a fee after the French champions rebuffed multiple attempts from Arsenal earlier this summer.

Meanwhile, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain is the other option who is available for around £35m-£40m, and he appears keen on a move to Merseyside after snubbing the chance to join Chelsea.

Coutinho was recently declared fit to participate for the Brazilian national side, and this has not gone well with the Reds' supporters, who are prepared to oversee the 25-year-old's exit.