Having already had two bids rejected, Barcelona have upped the ante in their quest to land Liverpool play-maker Philippe Coutinho. Reports this morning state the Catalan giants have raised their offer for the 25-year-old Brazilian to £118M, and have proposed a five-year deal to the player.
 

Portuguese journal O Jogo states that Barcelona chiefs hope this new proposal will be accepted by their Premier League counterparts who maintain that Coutinho is not for sale. With reports earlier in the week suggesting that the Blaugrana wanted to make the announcement of the player’s arrival this week, sources close to the Camp Nou suggest that they are still keen to do this ahead of this weekend’s big kick-off in Spain.
 

Coutinho himself is reported to be growing more frustrated that the Merseyside club continue to reject Barcelona’s advances after having submitted a transfer request late last week. It’s even been suggested by former Premier League boss Gerry Francis that Liverpool could strike a deal with Barcelona and then ask Coutinho to be loaned back to them for one season.