Barcelona News: Real Madrid wade into Philippe Coutinho transfer after secret PSG meeting

Barcelona spent the summer pursuing Coutinho but were unable to break Liverpool's stubborn resistance.

The Brazil international handed in a transfer request, yet manager Jurgen Klopp was able to convince him to stay at Anfield until January at the earliest.

Despite that, Barcelona remain keen and the La Liga table-toppers are expected to renew their interest in the 25-year-old when the transfer window reopens in the New Year.

And Spanish website Don Balon claims Perez wants Barcelona stopped, with the Real Madrid chief preferring Coutinho to sign for indirect rivals PSG instead.

Unai Emery's side have been touted as a possible destination for Coutinho heading into the January transfer window.

He is close friends with PSG talisman Neymar, who supposedly wants his compatriot to join him over at the Parc des Princes.

And Don Balon say Perez has asked for the help of PSG in order to stop the player moving to the Nou Camp.

It is said he talked with PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaifi and asked the 43-year-old to do his utmost to sign Coutinho during a secret meeting.

Aditionally, he stressed how important it was that Coutinho must not end up plying his trade over in Catalonia.

Meanwhile, Coutinho has expressed his anger at the way Liverpool defended in their emphatic 4-1 defeat to Tottenham on Sunday.

"The goals were goals that could have been prevented," he told ESPN Brasil.

"It started out wide and we end up conceding one of those goals the manager speaks about.

"He speaks a lot about this - we've conceded a lot of goals like this. And obviously in attack we were unable to score the goals necessary to draw or turn around the game.

"We were in the game during the first half then the goal we conceded made everything worse."