Pep Segura has claimed Barcelona are ‘close’ to signing Philippe Coutinho.
Successive bids from the Catalan giants have failed to find favour with Liverpool, who remain steadfast in their refusal to sell the playmaker.
Coutinho submitted a transfer request to Reds sporting director Michael Edwards last Friday in efforts to force through a move to the Nou Camp.
Segura spent over three years at Anfield as a youth coach before returning to Barca in 2015 and becoming the club’s general manager earlier this year.
In addition to Coutinho, the Copa del Rey holders are also pursuing a move for Borussia Dortmund’s want-away forward Ousmane Dembele.
And Segura has placed on record Barca’s confidence that the Brazil international will be prised away from his former club imminently.
“We are close to Coutinho and Dembele,” he told TV3.
“We are discussing their deals but do not know when it will be done.”
When asked if Barcelona expected the pair to sign, Segura added: “Yes, we expect it.”
Coutinho missed both Liverpool’s Premier League opener with Watford and their Champions League play-off win at Hoffenheim due to a back injury.