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Barcelona have agreed terms with Lautaro Martinez but need to sell Philippe Coutinho to land him, according to ESPN. They report that the Catalan side cannot afford to sign the Argentine striker unless the Brazilian is sold this summer.
ESPN add that despite a verbal agreement with Martinez, a fee has not been agreed with Inter Milan. The 22-year-old striker did have a €111m release clause and that might have been agreed with the San Siro side before it expired.
Philippe Coutinho has been at Barcelona since 2018 but has not managed to impress. He was loaned out to Bayern Munich this season and they, too, have opted not to sign him permanently.
Philippe Coutinho offered to clubs
The Brazilian has been offered to Liverpool, Chelsea and Arsenal but none of the clubs seem interested in signing the former Inter Milan star. ESPN also report that Barcelona are aware that they will have to take a massive hit on the €160 million they paid to land Coutinho from Liverpool.
Apart from Philippe Coutinho, the Calatan giants are also looking to sell Nelson Semedo, Ivan Rakitic and Ousmane Dembele, as per the report.
Rivaldo wants Neymar over Lautaro Martinez
While Barcelona are working hard on getting Lautaro Martinez to the club, their legend Rivaldo is not happy with it. He wants his former club to re-sign Neymar from PSG at all costs.
The Brazilian legend believes that the signing of Neymar will help Barcelona win titles again and get them back to where they belong. He said:
"Lautaro Martinez's release clause has recently expired, so Internazionale can now ask for more money to sell him and, apparently, they want to extend his contract and keep him at the club. For that reason, I think Barcelona should refocus on signing Neymar this summer."
"Leonardo might now be interested in negotiating the Brazilian star's move from PSG. I believe Neymar joining Lionel Messi would help Barcelona become again that sensational team that won many titles several years ago."
He added that Neymar would be the best signing for Barcelona as he could serve as the ideal alternative for Lionel Messi, should the Argentine need some rest.
"Neymar would be the best possible signing for Barcelona as he will cheer up the squad and give a nice alternative to decide matches, allowing Messi to take a rest occasionally."
