Friday 11 August 2017 06:01, UK
Guillem Balague thinks Liverpool hold all the cards over Philippe Coutinho's future due to Barcelona being unprepared for Neymar's departure.
Barcelona are on the back foot in the transfer market. Their pursuit of Phillippe Coutinho shows it.
What we are seeing is a consequence of them not being ready for the sale of Neymar.
They thought that FFP [Financial Fair Play] would stop Paris Saint-Germain paying his buy-out clause, but Barca had no idea that the negotiations between Neymar and PSG were so advanced. Neymar had told both players and staff at the club that he was staying, as well as the opposite.
When the deal was complete and Barcelona received the cheque, they realised they were caught late on preparing for his departure.
Coutinho wouldn't have been a target for Barcelona if Neymar had stayed. Coutinho's people have told Barcelona for months he's happy to move, but Barcelona did not consider him a priority - they felt that, if the Brazilian had stayed, they needed more a centre midfielder and a winger.
In any case they did not have the finances necessary to both update the side and bring a player like him. Now Coutinho could fill the gap left by Neymar, not only in terms of his performance on the pitch (he is more a forward than a midfielder) but also his profile off it. The club feels the fans would fall in love with him.
The priority for Ernesto Valverde is a midfielder in the mold of Marco Verratti, or a winger Ousmane Dembele. Barcelona contacted Monaco about Kylian Mbappe but far too late, Roberto Soriano of Villarreal and few others have also been mentioned as targets - but they need one superstar. A player that can make a difference.
They believe Dembele is the more likely deal - but Borussia have rejected their first offer and they are going to have to spend a lot of money to get him.
Going back to Coutinho, the first offer Barcelona put in to Liverpool for him, while the English club was in Hong Kong, was rejected within 45 minutes. Then the offer which arrived on Wednesday night - €85m with €15m in add-ons - was rejected within 35 minutes. Barcelona will see how things progress, which suggests they will come back with another offer, but they are also looking for alternatives.
Although Coutinho's representatives have agreed personal terms with Barcelona and he wants to go, Liverpool and Jurgen Klopp are pulling in the opposite direction - they're not selling. And why should they?
I believe Coutinho has behaved very professionally - as usual, they say at the club - and Liverpool are surprised about stories suggesting he's been training badly. He's got a back injury - many will doubt the timing of it - but he's been in Melwood every day to receive treatment on it.
Klopp will have to deal with this situation, although I'm sure he's done it before. He will know that within few weeks of the season, the upset or disappointment of not signing for Barcelona will disappear.
Barcelona, meanwhile, are in limbo and are starting to believe that Liverpool won't sell. And that is bad news for the board - losing Neymar and not finding a suitable replacement makes things complicated for president Josep Maria Bertomeu who is under a lot of pressure.
The club insist this is a long-term game, but they now realise that €222m in the bank doesn't necessarily get you what you want. The Reds clearly have the upper hand.
