Liverpool rocked by £72 million Barcelona offer for Philippe Coutinho
Liverpool's summer to date has been far from smooth, with a big-name signing coming in while two more targets rumble on. Now, however, the team has been rocked.
News Friday of a £72 million (about $94 million) bid for Jurgen Klopp's star player will cause concern for the Anfield club, while Manchester United is looking to resist paying big fees.
Across the city, Manchester City is looking to invest even more in its defense having already spent £54 million on Kyle Walker this summer and £50 million on John Stones last year.
Tottenham is also involved in today's round-up of transfer news and rumors, as Mauricio Pochettino looks to begin summer spending at Spurs:
La Liga giant Barcelona will have sent reverberations across Anfield after making a £72 million bid for Liverpool midfielder Philippe Coutinho, according to the Daily Mail . Liverpool is expected to reject the offer for the 25-year-old Brazilian.
Jose Mourinho's Manchester United has already made two signings this summer, with Victor Lindelof and Romelu Lukaku , but the Old Trafford club seems to being playing hardball over Inter Milan's Ivan Perisic. According to the Daily Mirror , United is not willing to meet the Italian Serie A's valuation of the 28-year-old Croatian winger.
After failing to reach an agreement with A.S. Monaco over signing Fabinho, The Independent say United has turned its attention to Paris Saint Germain right back Serge Aurier, the 24-year-old Frenchman.
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp at Hong Kong Stadium, Hong Kong, July 19. Stanley Chou/Getty
United's close rival Manchester City is also looking to spend more money on its defense during this transfer window. According to the Daily Mail , Pep Guardiola's team has made a £44.5 million offer for Monaco left-back Benjamin Mendy, but the Ligue 1 champion has rejected it and demanded City pay the same fee paid for Walker, which was £54 million.
It has been a quiet summer for Pochettino's Tottenham so far but the London Evening Standard say Spurs has asked Leicester to keep it informed of Riyad Mahrez's future. The Algerian forward wants to leave the King Power Stadium and Leicester is demanding around £50 million for the sale.
Pochettino is also interested in Manchester City's 17-year-old winger Jadon Sancho , according to The Independent , but faces competition for his signing from north London rival Arsenal