Barcelona transfer news: Catalans urged to sign De Bruyne over Coutinho, star player's value increase and more - 3rd October 2017

Collymore believes Barcelona should target De Bruyne

The former Liverpool player wrote in The Mirror that the Spanish club should go all out for Manchester City's midfielder over Philippe Coutinho. Collymore said:

“If I was in charge of recruitment at Barcelona I’d be looking to take Kevin De Bruyne over Philippe Coutinho all day long. It’s not even a contest."

De Bruyne is one of the best players coached by Pep Guardiola by the manager's own admission and is one of the most important players at Manchester City. No wonder, Collymore went on to price the Belgian by saying:

“If the Brazilian is worth £140m in the Catalan club’s eyes, then the Belgian is more like £180m or £190m.”

While Barcelona might come back in for Coutinho in 2018, there is no doubt that De Bruyne would also prove to be a top signing.

Can Barcelona sign him?

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Dembele's value up by €45 million in three months

Dembele's price has increased massively in three months

Barcelona splashed €105 million up front for Borussia Dortmund's Ousmane Dembele in the summer after Neymar's departure. The Catalans are set to pay another €42 million in add-ons in the future, taking the total transfer fee to €147 million.

While the fee looks humungous for a 20-year old, it was a domino effect of Neymar's record-breaking sale to Paris Saint-Germain. Meanwhile, CIES Football Laboratory, who specialize in estimating player transfer values, listed Dembele's at €137.5 million.

The same laboratory had valued the Frenchman at €92.5 million on July 1st, implying Dembele's value shot up by €45 million in just 3 months. His increase in value is only bettered by Romelu Lukaku, Kylian Mbappe and Paulo Dybala and shows that Barcelona roughly paid close to the estimated price.

So, a fair deal, then?

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Tottenham set to bid for Gomes

Andre Gomes is not short of suitors

Andre Gomes has struggled to settle at Barcelona and the arrival of Paulinho has further reduced his playing time. With the Portuguese failing to impress new manager Ernesto Valverde, he is looking for a new club. Transfer Market Web reports that Tottenham are willing to secure his services, as early as January.

The reports state that Spurs could face competition from the likes of Manchester United, Juventus, AS Monaco and Benfica, highlighting the quality of the 24-year old.

Tottenham could even seal an initial loan move before signing Gomes permanently - something that will represent a good move for the player and both clubs as well.