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Manchester United 'refusing to pay more than £60m for Philippe Coutinho'

By Barney Corkhill, Editor | 22 April 2019

Man Utd 'refuse to pay more than £60m for Coutinho'

Manchester United are reportedly refusing to pay more than £60m for Philippe Coutinho this summer - less than half the sum Barcelona bought him for in January 2018.

Manchester United are unwilling to pay more than €70m (£61m) to sign Philippe Coutinho from Barcelona this summer, according to reports.

Coutinho's future at Camp Nou has come under scrutiny in recent months following an underwhelming first season-and-a-half at Barcelona since his big-money move from Liverpool in January 2018.

The Brazilian has fallen behind Ousmane Dembele and sometimes Malcom in the pecking order under Ernesto Valverde, starting just 19 La Liga games this season.

Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester United have been heavily linked with a move for Coutinho, but Don Balon reports that they will only pay £61m for his services - less than half the sum Barcelona paid to bring him to Camp Nou.

Chelsea are also understood to be interested in the playmaker, having identified him as a possible replacement for Eden Hazard.

Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu last week suggested that Coutinho will not leave the club this summer unless his £355m minimum release clause is met.