Barcelona are desperate to sell Philippe Coutinho before the 2021-22 campaign gets underway, according to a report.

The former Liverpool man has struggled to make his mark in Catalonia during his three-and-a-half year stay, but he was initially handed a new lease of life during the early days of Ronald Koeman's tenure.

However, a serious knee injury cut his 2020-21 season short and he managed just 14 games across all competitions last term, leading to increased speculation surrounding an exit this time around.

With Barca prioritising a new contract for Lionel Messi - which could see the club forced to free up £171m in wages - AS claims that La Blaugrana are desperately trying to offload Coutinho in order to negate a crushing £859m debt.

Arsenal are thought to have rekindled their interest in the Brazilian attacker, but the report adds that Barca are yet to receive any offers and may be forced to accept his stay for the time being.

Coutinho managed three goals and two assists during his curtailed 2020-21 season, and his contract at Camp Nou is due to expire in the summer of 2023.