Barcelona are starting to lose hope they can sign Philippe Coutinho this summer, according to Guillem Balague of Sky Sports. Barca's late scramble for transfer targets after the sale of Neymar to Paris Saint-Germain hasn't helped, while new manager Ernesto Valverde could be focused on other positions, per the report.
Balague noted classy playmaker Coutinho wasn't seen as a priority before Neymar was sold to PSG for a world-record fee:
"Coutinho wouldn't have been a target for Barcelona if Neymar had stayed. Coutinho's people have told Barcelona for months he's happy to move, but Barcelona did not consider him a priority - they felt that, if the Brazilian had stayed, they needed more a centre midfielder and a winger.