Liverpool transfer news and rumours: Barcelona prepare £140m Philippe Coutinho bid, Emre Can latest

A round-up of the latest stories regarding ins and outs at Anfield

Barcelona are expected to make an opening offer of around £140m for Philippe Coutinho (Getty)

Liverpool’s stance on Philippe Coutinho’s future appears to be softening as Barcelona prepare to make an bid of approximately £140m for the playmaker.

According to the Liverpool Echo, Barcelona are ready to table an offer for what is likely to be the third most-expensive transfer of all-time.

The Liga club intend to offer around £105m to Liverpool up front, with an further £35m included in realistic add-on fees.

The fee would only fall short of the £198m paid by Paris Saint-Germain for Neymar last summer and the £166m agreed by the Ligue 1 club to sign Kylian Mbappé.

Emre Can’s Liverpool career also appears to be nearing its end, with The Guardian reporting that the midfielder has received a contract offer from Juventus.

Can’s current contract expires at the end of the season and the 23-year-old is currently able to negotiate a free transfer away from Anfield.

The Germany international has reportedly been offered an £85,000-a-week contract by the Serie A champions, who are increasingly confident of adding Can to their squad for next season.

With Naby Keita arriving at Liverpool in the summer, Jürgen Klopp arguably has Can’s replacement already in place, but he may have to wait just as long to find a substitute for Coutinho.

Monaco’s Thomas Lemar is understood to be the preferred option but the Ligue 1 club’s manager Leonardo Jardim has warned that the 22-year-old winger will not be allowed to leave this winter.

“Monaco are not in the habit of making big sales in the winter,” Jardim said, echoing comments made by Monaco president Vadim Vasilyev during the autumn. “It’s our strategy. The players understand and they know how it goes here.”