Barcelona chief executive Oscar Grau has revealed the La Liga giants are financially prepared to launch another bid to sign Liverpool star Philippe Coutinho in January.
Liverpool rejected three offers from Barcelona over the summer and even turned down the chance to make in excess of £100m on their talismanic No.10.
Jurgen Klopp’s side categorically ruled out Coutinho’s departure even though the Brazil international handed in a transfer request to force through a move to the Camp Nou.
There were doubts whether Barcelona would return for the 25-year-old after their fairly embarrassing pursuit of Coutinho over the summer but Grau has rekindled the idea of a January move.
“We are [financially] prepared to sign Coutinho or any other player in January,” ESPN quote Grau as saying at a news conference on Wednesday.
“What we want is to have the most competitive squad possible. We will look at [signing players], even if there aren’t any sales.
“The club will remain sustainable, we don’t want losses and we have to continue to look for ways to generate income.
“The club is in a position to give them the best team possible, which is what we want. The club is in a very solvent, positive position. We are doing things sensibly. What we want – and what we are achieving – is for our teams to be as competitive as possible.”
Coutinho missed the start of the season as questions about his Liverpool future rumbled on but the Brazilian has started to hit his best form. In fact, he has scored in each of his last three appearances for Liverpool and all goals have been from outside the box.
In the last three Premier League seasons, Coutinho has scored at least three more goals from outside the penalty area than any other player (12).
