Does every footballer have a price? Yes, clearly. For Neymar, it’s £196m. For Jack Cork, it’s £10m. For Moussa Sissoko, it’s whatever you want to pay – like donations at an owl sanctuary.

The prices vary vastly, but there’s a always a price. So what’s Philippe Coutinho’s?

Doesn’t have one, according to a defiant Liverpool Echo, which reports that Barcelona’s £72m offer for the Brazilian playmaker has been flatly rejected by the Reds.

“You’re wasting your time” and “not for sale at any price” are the kinds of phrases that Liverpool allegedly communicated back to Catalonia in response to the bid – understandably given that they tied the 25-year-old down to a long-term contract just six months ago.

But equally, it’s not true. Because Coutinho, like everyone, does have a price.

The Mail has a different version of the same story, reporting that Liverpool rejected Barcelona’s offer as they feel “it falls short of the player’s true value in the current market” – the implication being that Barca could get their man by raising their bid.

To what sum, who knows. But if Barca do end up with a £200m windfall from selling Neymar, you can safely assume it would fall into the “silly” category.

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According to ESPN, Paris Saint-Germain believe they have a “95 per cent” chance of securing Neymar this summer. Which is an extraordinarily high percentage – equating to roughly the same proportion of people in the United Kingdom who didn’t vote Liberal Democrat in the general election.

Barca have reportedly given up trying to persuade the forward to stay at the Nou Camp and will leave him to “decide his own future”. Or, in other words, let his dad Neymar Sr decide his future. Wouldn’t it be a great twist if Neymar Sr decided that his son should snub PSG and instead become leader of the Lib Dems?

Massive Ozil breakthrough

A nice idea, but you’d be better off putting your money on Mesut Ozil staying at Arsenal. That, at least, is the view of the Sun, which says the Gunners are “increasingly confident” that the German will imminently put pen to paper on a new deal at the Emirates.

The two parties apparently had a “massive breakthrough” when Ozil generously decided that the club’s offer of £280,000 a week wasn’t so bad after all, presumably because he has realised it’s the best offer he’s going to get.

Manchester United’s long-running quest for a new right-back has led them to ditch a frustrating pursuit of Monaco’s Fabinho and instead turn their attention to PSG’s Serge Aurier (Independent). Bit of a risky one, given that the Ivorian was refused entry to the UK on his last attempt due to his criminal record for assaulting a police officer. Maybe he could just play in European away games.

Elsewhere, Wolfsburg are the latest club linked with a move for United forward Anthony Martial, with the Germans keen to take him on a season-long loan (Mirror), Jack Wilshere is open to a move to his boyhood club West Ham if the Hammers can agree a fee with Arsenal, who want £20m for him (Star) and Monaco have rejected Manchester City’s £44.5m bid for Benjamin Mendy and demanded £54m for the left-back (Mail). It’s what’s known as the “Kyle Walker effect”.

@darlingkevin