Guillem Balague, the respected Spanish pundit and journalist has spoken out with regards to Pep Segura’s claims that Barcelona are close to completing a deal for Ousmane Dembele and Philippe Coutinho.
The Barcelona General Manager had revealed that the deals are close, following the club’s 2-0 loss to Real Madrid in the Spanish Supercopa on Wednesday night, but nothing has been confirmed yet. Speaking to the Spanish Media, he was quoted as saying by Goal:
“We are close to Coutinho and Dembele. We are discussing their deals but do not know when it will be done. We expect it.
“We know we have to strengthen this team and that is what we are doing.”
However, Balague was quick to add that the quotes could have been lost in translation and that our stance in selling Coutinho has not changed.
On Segura. He mentions Cout+Dmb but 1 thing lost in translation: he trying 2 say club want/negotiating 4 both. But knows LPL not selling ATM
— Guillem Balague (@GuillemBalague) August 17, 2017
Balague added that when Segura said the deal was close, he meant it for Dembele and not for Coutinho. The journalist was also quick to say that there are no plans for Barcelona and Liverpool to meet anytime soon.
1. When last night Pep Segura, FCB general manager, was talking about "deal is close" I am pretty sure he meant only Dembele pic.twitter.com/awq9mTBxTX
— Guillem Balague (@GuillemBalague) August 17, 2017
2. Segura knows Liverpool haven't moved an inch their position on Coutinho: they not selling. Will they be able to maintain it till the end?
— Guillem Balague (@GuillemBalague) August 17, 2017
Coutinho has had his head turned, that much we know, but FSG have been repeatedly stating that the 25-year-old is not for sale. The Brazilian is out of action for a while as he looks to overcome a back problem and is not expected to play our next game, against Crystal Palace during the weekend.
Barcelona have been trying their best to replace Neymar, who was bought by PSG in a sensational €222million deal and have found it hard to bring talents to their club. There have been stories coming from Spain which claim the deal is all but done, but the English media claim that nothing has been done yet.
3. Despite the insistence of Catalan press (FCB have nothing to do with it) about meetings this week, nothing is planned between LFC and FCB
— Guillem Balague (@GuillemBalague) August 17, 2017
We should take this news with a pinch of salt though, as Balague has often made mistakes with his predictions and lately hasn’t got much right regarding the transfers.
Letting Coutinho leave this late in the transfer window will cause major problems to us, especially since we don’t seem to be getting any other players in. Barcelona might have the money to buy Coutinho but we have to ensure that the Brazilian stays with us, no matter what.
We don’t have a player who is on the same creative level as Coutinho and if we somehow ensure that he stays and plays to his potential, there is a great chance that we may not only improve our league position but also win a cup.
Klopp has a tough job on his hands but in all probability, he is the right man to turn Coutinho’s head around too.
https://youtu.be/_9_JUxrtmqo
