Barcelona can’t afford Coutinho and Dembele and are looking at other options - Balague

Liverpool midfielder Coutinho and Borussia Dortmund winger Dembele have both seen their respective clubs turn down offers from Barcelona.

Both Liverpool and Dortmund maintain their star men are not for sale in this transfer window.

Barcelona are looking for a replacement for Neymar, who joined Paris Saint-Germain for a world-record transfer fee of £200million earlier this month.

Balague confirmed Barca are looking at the two players but does not think they can buy both of them and are looking at different options.

“Yes (they are after both players),” Balague said on Sky Sports of Barcelona.

“The idea of course is to use all the money from Neymar and more, because they will have to pay wages and all that, for those two players. 

“The likelihood is they won’t be able to afford both of them. If one cost £150million and say Liverpool one day sold, it would be for a lot of money. 

“So I’m not sure they can afford both of them, but they are going for both of them. 

“They are looking for alternatives already because they realise both clubs are very strong in their positions. 

“They don’t see him (Coutinho) as a midfielder really, they see him as a forward. With Neymar, they wouldn’t have gone for Coutinho. 

“Yes there has been conversations in the past, but they wouldn’t have gone for him. Without Neymar, they need a replacement for him.”

Liverpool have rejected a third offer of over £100million from Barca for Coutinho this afternoon.

Coutinho is currently out injured with a back problem and has missed Liverpool's first two games of the season.