IT'S OVER! Barcelona give up on Liverpool ace Coutinho

Barcelona have dropped their pursuit of Liverpool ace Philippe Coutinho, it has been revealed.

The Liverpool Echo says Barca have now given up on the Brazilian.

Three bids over the course of a month and a ton of pressure exerted on the Brazilian which led to him putting in a transfer request and pleading to be granted a move failed to break the Reds' resolve. Barca will have to spend the proceeds of the £200million sale of Neymar elsewhere.

Sunday's laughable 7pm deadline that Barcelona set Liverpool to agree to an offer they had instantly rejected 48 hours earlier went unanswered by sporting director Michael Edwards.

The Anfield hierarchy had been bewildered by the structure of the proposed deal.

Fenway Sports Group's statement a week earlier that "no offers for Philippe will be considered and he will remain a member of Liverpool Football Club when the summer window closes" was unequivocal.

No sum of money would have prompted a change of heart.