Barcelona go cold on Coutinho; plot move for Ligue 1 ace

Oli Fisher

Barcelona have reportedly cooled their interest in Liverpool star Philippe Coutinho by turning their attentions to an Arsenal target.

According to Catalan outlet Sport, Barca have prioritised a deal for Nice star Jean Seri this January and will hold off on their pursuit of Coutinho.

Seri was linked with a summer move to a host of big European clubs, with Arsenal reportedly one of the names interested, but a move failed to materialise.

The Catalan club have apparently struck a £36million deal with Nice for Seri, who was also prepared to make the move to the Nou Camp in the summer.

However, Barcelona pulled the plug on tying up the deal this summer as they instead wanted to make a late move for Coutinho or PSG’s Angel Di Maria.

The report does claim that the La Liga side could yet come back for the Brazil star in the summer, with recent reports suggesting that Liverpool may be willing to let Coutinho leave after the 2018 World Cup in Russia.