FC Barcelona transfer rumour update – Philippe Coutinho and Theo Hernandez
Theo Hernandez passes Real Madrid medical as Barcelona lose out in the last moment
Earlier reports suggested that Theo Hernandez’s deal with Barcelona was finalised. But Real Madrid convinced Theo that the Santiago Bernabeu would be a better destination for him. Most probably, Florentino Perez did it with money.
More from Everything Barca
- FC Barcelona tracking Belgian Wonderkid
- FC Barcelona vs Betis Player Ratings
- Barça boss Xavi to get contract extension
- FC Barcelona planning swoop for Arsenal midfielder
- Barcelona interested in €30 million wonderkid
Hernandez has been the target of speculation in the media for quite some time. But Football Espana leaked details of a medical taking place in Madrid. This will eradicate all doubts about Theo’s future.
Real Madrid physios conducted the medical at at la Clínica Sanitas – La Moraleja. The medical was successful and Real will formally announce the move after the Copa del Rey final, in which Theo will take the field for Alaves against Barcelona. The deal will be of €24 million, the value of the release clause in his contract.
This deal will not affect the future of the Barcelona squad. Theo’s pursuit was purely to add depth to the squad. The current squad consists of two good left-backs in the form of Jordi Alba and Lucas Digne. A left-back signing would have only been necessary if Alba would have been leaving.
Philippe Coutinho gives the go-ahead for move to Barcelona
Philippe Coutinho has given Barcelona the green light to begin negotiations with Liverpool. This comes after a lot of speculation regarding his future. After he signed a new deal with Liverpool and Jurgen Klopp openly refuted claims that he would move to the Camp Nou, it seemed that the transfer was impossible. But this is a strange turn of events.
Sport have reported that Coutinho is ready to put pressure on Liverpool to let him go. He feels that he needs to move on to a bigger sporting project to propel his career to a new level. The Barcelona-based publication reported that the talks between Coutinho’s representatives and Barcelona officials were based on Barca’s project for the future and his role to play in it.
Related Story: Barca officials hold talks with Coutinho's representatives over potential deal
It seems that these talks succeeded and Coutinho agreed. He also rejected a huge wage package from Paris-Saint Germain in order to don a Barca shirt.
But now comes the hard part. The money involved in this deal would be huge. Robert Fernandez has never been too great with numbers. With overpaying for Andre Gomes to signing Jeremy Mathieu, Robert has made a mess of Barcelona’s finances. He will be greatly tested in this transfer.
Next: Verratti deal ruled out by agent
The asking price of Liverpool is around the €90 million mark. That is money that the club cannot spare at the moment, not until the new sponsorship deal begins. Therefore, a lot of patient negotiations have to take place. Robert Fernandez and his team have to work to reduce the fee to an acceptable amount.