Barcelona 'arrange Philippe Coutinho meeting'

Barcelona have allegedly arranged a meeting with Liverpool to discuss the transfer of Philippe Coutinho for next Wednesday, January 3.

The Reds resisted three offers for the 25-year-old over the summer but are braced for another big bid when the transfer window opens next week.

Talks over the summer went on until the final day of the transfer window but the Spanish side are reportedly keen to avoid a similarly-protracted spectacle this time around and want an early resolution to the potential deal.

According to Sport, the two clubs will meet on January 3 to thrash out the transfer, with Liverpool - due to spend a world-record £75m on defender Virgil van Dijk - said to be demanding £125m.

The newspaper says that the structure of the deal, including the payment plan, is the only stumbling block remaining, with Coutinho already having agreed to the personal terms on the table.

Barcelona are also thought to be pursuing a deal for Atletico Madrid striker Antoine Griezmann, but are likely to abandon that move if they finally land Coutinho.