Philippe Coutinho to Barcelona: Liverpool star willing to slash wages - report

LIVERPOOL star Philippe Coutinho is happy to take a pay cut to join Barcelona.

Philippe CoutinhoGETTY

Barcelona want to sign Liverpool's Philippe Coutinho

Barcelona want to sign Liverpool's Coutinho but have so far failed to match the Reds' asking price.

A £72million bid has been rejected by the Anfield club, whose manager Jurgen klopp insists they will not sell.

But that appears not to have deterred Barca from maintaining their interest in the Brazilian.

According to Spanish newspaper Sport, Coutinho wants to join the Nou Camp club and is willing to have his wages slashed in order to get a deal through.

Neither the player nor Liverpool have issued any statements that Coutinho wants to leave.

Yet the report claims the 25-year-old would be happy to leave Merseyside if the opportunity arises.

Coutinho only signed a new five-year contract at Liverpool back in January - a deal the Reds assumed would end any transfer speculation in their playmaker.

A wage cut at Barca would be likely - although Sport note that there is a stark contrast between how English and Spanish clubs settle on salaries.

Philippe CoutinhoGETTY

Philippe Coutinho is currently on pre-season training with Liverpool

Philippe Coutinho scores a screamer against Leicester

While Premier League sides are more willing to pay their players a large basic salary, their La Liga counterparts prefer to focus on performance-related bonuses.

Barcelona failed to win either La Liga or the Champions League last season, meaning their squad missed out on major bonuses.

Liverpool, like many Premier League sides, offer their players a bonus if they qualify for the Champions League.

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