Barcelona representatives arrive in Liverpool with Coutinho's agents already in Spain as move nears completion

Philippe Coutinho's move from Liverpool to Barcelona during the ongoing January transfer window is reportedly at an advanced stage with the Brazilian's agents said to be in the Catalan capital holding final negotiations.

The La Liga giants are desperate to conclude the deal for the Reds midfielder at the earliest and have reportedly agreed to meet the Premier League club's demands with regards to the fee and the add-on clauses.

Barcelona failed with three bids in the summer despite Coutinho handing in a transfer request, but the Spanish club has not backed down and are ready with a fresh offer. The Catalan giants are ready to meet Liverpool's asking price of €160m (£141m), including add-ons.

They will pay €120m upfront with a further €40m being paid depending on the appearances and successes of Coutinho at the club. The add-on clauses were initially dependent on the Brazilian winning the Ballon d'Or, but Liverpool felt it was unreasonable and asked Barcelona to make it more realistic.

According to Spanish publication Sport, the negotiations are at an advanced stage with the player's lawyers currently in Barcelona looking over the contract on offer, while another entourage of the player along with the Catalan club's representatives are said to be in Merseyside negotiating the terms of the deal.

Liverpool stood firm in the face of three bids during the summer transfer window and are said to be reluctant even now to sanction a deal for Coutinho, who has returned to form after a sluggish start to the campaign. However, the Reds are aware that the player is keen to move to the Camp Nou and hence have ensured that they get the best possible deal.

Another report from Sport claims that the Reds had one condition to sanction the transfer in January – that the fee Barcelona pay for Coutinho is more than what the Camp Nou club paid for Ousmane Dembele in the summer. The Premier League outfit are of the view that Coutinho is a step above the French attacker at this point in his career and thus should be valued higher.

Barcelona had paid €105m upfront to Borussia Dortmund and will pay a further €40m in add-ons. Liverpool were keen that the current La Liga leaders beat that price and make Coutinho the most expensive player in the club's history while making him the the third most expensive in the world, behind Paris Saint-Germain duo Neymar (£198m) and Kylian Mbappe (£166m).