Messi forced Barca to reject Eriksen to ensure Coutinho deal

Barcelona reportedly shelved plans to sign Christian Eriksen and focused all their efforts on bringing in Philippe Coutinho at the request of Lionel Messi.

Barcelona signed Philippe Coutinho from Liverpool in January for a club record £142million but the deal might not have gone ahead if it was not for Lionel Messi.

Spanish newspaper Mundo Deportivo claim Barca were close to throwing in the towel in their pursuit of the Brazil international.

The Catalan side instead turned their attention to Tottenham midfielder Christian Eriksen and scouted him on numerous occasions.

However, Messi reportedly stepped in and demanded a deal for Coutinho be completed as part of his own contract negotiations.

The Argentina international had Barca held to ransom last year as talks over his new deal dragged on.

And Mundo Deportivo claim the 30-year-old used the situation to his advantage before putting pen to paper on a contract extension in November.

He reportedly told club president Josep Maria Bartomeu he would not sign until a deal for Coutinho was back on track.

And Barca responded by dropping their interest in Eriksen, despite seeing him as a viable and cheaper option to replace the ageing Andres Iniesta.

Eriksen himself was also well aware of the interest from the Nou Camp at the time and admitted it was his dream to one day play for a side like Barcelona.

“I still have a contract with Tottenham for a few more years,” the Denmark international said.

“Barcelona are a great club. I don’t think there are many who say no to Barcelona. In the future I see myself at the highest level. That’s what I dream about.

“It can be about two to three years. It may be in another club or it could be Tottenham if we have come all the way up.”