Barca close to signing Coutinho and Dembele: Pep Segura

Barcelona, August 17: Barcelona general manager Pep Seguar claimed the LaLiga giants are close to signing Philippe Coutinho and Ousmane Dembele.

Liverpool star Coutinho and Borussia Dortmund attacker Dembele have been tipped to join Barca since Neymar left Camp Nou for Paris Saint-Germain in a world-record transfer.

Premier League side Liverpool have maintained Coutinho is not for sale, while Dortmund suspended Dembele after the Frenchman missed training without permission.

Now, the pair are poised to make the switch to Barca following Barca's 2-0 loss to Real Madrid on Wednesday.

"Coutinho and Dembele are both close," Segura told TV3. "We are hopeful that they will end up wearing the Barca shirt."

He added: "Until deals are closed I can't say anything. We know we have to help the team and reinforce it and that's what we are doing."

Barca head coach Ernesto Valverde lamented Neymar's absence after the match at the Santiago Bernabeu as his team crashed to a 5-1 aggregate defeat.

Asked about the possibility of Coutinho arriving before Sunday's LaLiga opener against Real Betis, Valverde said: "I do not know."

Pressed on whether he is waiting on signings, Valverde responded: "Generally the results are a consequence of the game, being aggressive offensive and defensively, we have to focus on that, we have generated chances and we have not been able to score, we have not been able to score at specific moments.

"Looking for that balance that allows us to play, there have been changes and there are probably more changes, coaches do not have the time, we need results so that everything works."

Source: OPTA