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Barcelona find themselves in a bind as they try to get reinforcements in place following the departure of Neymar.
Barcelona end interest in Coutinho
La Blaugrana's pursuit of Philippe Coutinho will not bear fruit as Sky sources are now reporting that they are resigned to the fact that Liverpool are not going to sell the Brazilian.
Barcelona had tabled a fresh offer of £113m and given 7 pm on Sunday as the deadline for Liverpool's acceptance. But the Scousers remain disinterested in any negotiations for Coutinho and have not got back. Guillem Balague of Sky has gone onto state that Barca are likely to keep their word and not come back with a new offer.
As the summer window is coming to a close, Barcelona will want to expedite their transfer activities and will need to switch their focus to deals that are likely going to happen. They are now focusing on triggering OGC Nice's Jean Michael-Seri's £36m release clause.
No developments on the Ousmane Dembele front
According to L'Equipe, Barcelona haven't followed up since they first tabled an £82m bid and are unlikely to match Dortmund's asking price of £136m. The news comes amid reports suggesting that a deal is close to being finalized.
This comes as a major setback to the Catalans who had identified Dembele as a like-for-like replacement for Neymar in terms of traits.
Dembele went AWOL from training in a bid to force a move to Nou Camp and has been suspended and fined by Borussia Dortmund.
Earlier, Dortmund chief executive Hans-Joachim Watzke had lashed out at Barcelona over their role in Dembele's absence.
Speaking to Sky, he said,
"It is not that Ous is making fun of us, he simply declines to do his job. That is a new quality and we should also talk about the role of glorious FC Barcelona in this matter.
"The timing of these events is very curious. You don't believe a 20-year-old will refuse to go to training without his possible new club liking that?
"I see the transfer probability of Ousmane Dembele under 50 percent, so if we do, we will analyze whether we have to do something or not, and if we decide to do something else, then we certainly already have ideas."
Barcelona want Di Maria to replace Neymar
Liverpool's reluctance to sell Philippe Coutinho to Barcelona has forced Ernesto Valverde to consider a move for PSG's Angel Di Maria, according to reports from Mundo Deportivo.
Though Di Maria is left footed and has a playing style that is different from Neymar's, the Argentine has proved to be a handful to deal with on the left flank. He has bossed the La Liga during his stint at Real Madrid filled with excellent showings.
However, the fact that he was once a much-adored figure of Los Blancos could act as a deterrent and Barcelona cannot afford to face yet another stumbling block as they're running out of time in the transfer window.
Sergi Roberto happy at Barcelona
Speaking after their 2-0 victory over Real Betis, Sergi Roberto revealed that he is happy at Barcelona and that plans on staying.
"I'm happy. I was happy (to play Real Madrid in the super cup match) on a personal level and I felt comfortable today, too. I played in my favored midfield position.
"I started at the Bernabeu and the coach has given me confidence. I've scored today and I want to be important. In pre-season, I wasn't starting, but now in the official matches I am playing more. I want to continue here and continue like this."
Mixed messages from the Messi camp
While Sky sources claim that Messi is all set to sign a new deal with Barcelona, the Daily Report has come out with reports suggesting that he is seriously considering a move to Manchester City. The report even claims that Messi has met with Manchester City representatives.
