Barcelona identify Premier League star as an alternative to Coutinho

New Delhi, Aug 12: Spanish giants Barcelona are reportedly looking into the transfer of Tottenham playmaker Christian Eriksen as an alternative to Liverpool's Philippe Coutinho after being snubbed thrice by the Reds.

The Catalan giants are already thought to be in the process of working on the deal via intermediaries and have had the Dane in mind as a backup plan for some time.

Barcelona are in the market for a long-term replacement for Andres Iniesta in midfield and view Eriksen as a genuine candidate for the role just like Coutinho. The Danish playmaker is known for his excellent ability to control the game and pick out passes and possess excellent technical abilities as well.

The Denmark international, however, is likely to cost over £100million as Spurs are known to be shrewd negotiators in the transfer market, having pocketed £50m for Kyle Walker when he moved to Manchester City earlier this summer.

However, there is a belief that Daniel Levy has a selling price for every player, Barca may have to go beyond £100m, given that Spurs sold Kyle Walker for over £50m. Liverpool have played hardball for Coutinho so far but Levy is a man who is not expected to turn down a lucrative deal.

Meanwhile, the Coutinho saga took new heights on Friday as Liverpool first issued a statement that they will not consider any offer for the Brazilian playmaker and then reports emerged that the Liverpool number ten has submitted an official transfer request.

Christian Eriksen would be a great addition to Barcelona with the quality he possesses and might well be a better signing than Coutinho himself. The Dane has been the architect for Spurs over the last few years with his playmaking skills and is a regular assist provider from a midfielder.

Barcelona have no shortage of money with Neymar leaving the club getting them plenty of money but they need quality additions to get back to their best and we have to wait and see whom they manage to sign before the window ends.

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