Philippe Coutinho Reportedly Tells Liverpool He Wants to Leave for Barcelona

Philippe Coutinho has reportedly informed Liverpool he wants to join Barcelona, and talks over his move are said to be "advanced."

According to Sport's Lluis Miguelsanz, "Barcelona club sources are hugely optimistic he will join, despite a final price not being fixed," because they believe his desire to move to the Camp Nou will prove to be the decisive factor in convincing Liverpool to let him go.

The promise of silverware at Barcelona is believed to be Coutinho's driving motivation for the move.

Since the Reds lifted the FA Cup in 2006, the only major trophy they've won is the Carling Cup in 2012.

In that time, the Blaugrana have won six La Liga titles, five Copas del Rey and the UEFA Champions League three times.

However, his transfer fee may yet be an issue. According to Miguelsanz, Barca will pay "no more" than €85 million for the Brazilian.

Even that fee, while significant, might fall well short of what the Reds might want for him. Football Whispers' Sam McGuire believes he is worth far more:

Liverpool writer Leanne Prescott also discussed his value to the team, while colleague Joel Rabinowitz noted the chemistry he's already displaying with new recruit Mohamed Salah:

Indeed, with the Reds attack shaping up nicely in pre-season with Coutinho and Salah linking up well alongside Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino, Liverpool have an even greater incentive to keep hold of their star.

The club might be slightly more receptive to allowing him to leave if he strongly wants to make the move, and it would be understandable if he is tempted by Barcelona. As exciting a project as Liverpool may be, they cannot hope to match the silverware on offer at the Camp Nou.

However, even if that is the case, they're still not likely to let him leave for anything less than a phenomenal sum.

As such, Barca will almost certainly need to be prepared to pay far more than even €85 million to land him.