Philippe Coutinho transfer from Liverpool to Barcelona accidentally confirmed on Nike's website

Barca are expected to launch another bid for the midfielder in January

Philippe Coutinho’s long-anticipated transfer to Barcelona has been confirmed – although it was by mistake on Nike’s official website.

The Liverpool playmaker was the subject of three bids from the La Liga leaders in the summer and even handed in a transfer request in order to try and push through the deal but the Reds held firm and Coutinho remained at Anfield.

But the noises coming from Barcelona since the summer window closed have suggested they will come back for the 25-year-old in January with a bid well in excess of £100m.

And Barcelona’s kit sponsor, Nike, appeared to jump the gun on the transfer with a post on their website advertising their 2017/18 shirt with Coutinho’s name on the back.

They wrote: “Philippe Coutinho is ready to light up Camp Nou. Get your 2017/18 FC Barcelona kit with the Magician’s name on it. Act fast – free personalisation only available until 6 January.”

The post has since been taken down by Nike but it only further fuels the belief the deal will go through in the January window rather than in the summer.

Nike's website incorrectly stated Coutinho as a Barca player (Nike.com)

Liverpool splashed out £75m on Virgil van Dijk this week but Jurgen Klopp insisted that it was neither because he was already spending money from selling Coutinho nor that he would have to balance the books by selling the playmaker after signing the defender.

“Nobody told me that. I have no information about that. No,” Klopp said on Friday. “We have good player and we don’t have to sell anybody because of that. So fair play to our owners that they are ambitious and now we have to use the team to grow together.”