Report: Barcelona nears €40M swoop for Nice's Jean Michael Seri

Barcelona's chipping away of the €222 million received for Neymar's transfer to Paris Saint-Germain could edge past a third of that total with the signing of Jean Michael Seri.

The Nice midfielder has already agreed personal terms with the Catalonians, the Guardian's Ed Aarons understands, but the structure of payments for his switch - believed to be worth around €40 million - still needs to be thrashed out between the two clubs.

Seri, 26, had also attracted admiring glances from Arsenal, Liverpool, and Tottenham following an all-action Ligue 1 campaign that yielded seven goals and nine assists. His preference has always been Barcelona though, where he may pose an eventual replacement for Andres Iniesta with his incisive passing and ease of movement in possession.

A potential delay in the Ivorian's negotiations lies with Nice wanting the midfielder to feature in the second leg of its Champions League qualification playoff against Napoli at the Allianz Riviera on Tuesday.

Barcelona isn't likely to close business for the summer following the €40-million arrival of Paulinho and possible nab of Seri. The club's interest in Ousmane Dembele was handed a boost Saturday when Borussia Dortmund sporting director Michael Zorc said the French forward can leave if "demands are met."

Barcelona is additionally considering a fourth, improved approach for Philippe Coutinho. Liverpool reportedly rejected an £114-million offer for the Brazilian on Friday, perhaps showing support for manager Jurgen Klopp after he stoically told the baying media that Coutinho has "no price."

The Blaugrana board's underwhelming performance in the transfer window after a campaign that saw the club fall under the shadow of archrival Real Madrid has concerned supporters. The crisis talk was supplemented before the weekend, when Luis Suarez was ruled out for four weeks with a knee injury, and vice president Jordi Mestre unconvincingly assured fans by saying "it would surprise" him if Lionel Messi didn't sign his agreed contract renewal until 2021.

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