Liverpool May Line Up This Barcelona Midfielder As Ideal Replacement For Coutinho: Yay or Nay?

Ivan Rakitic might seek a way out of Barcelona if the Catalan club is successful in signing Phillipe Coutinho. The Daily Mail is reporting that the Croat footballer “is not pleased at the prospect of playing second fiddle to Coutinho and is considering his options.”

Barcelona were relentless in their pursuit of Phillipe Coutinho over the summer but Liverpool refused to negotiate and the deal just didn’t materialize. But the Spanish giants are hopeful that a deal can be struck in January, exactly a year after Coutinho put pen to paper on a new contract that runs until 2022.

At the age of 30, Rakitic would be hoping for regular first-team football. And if Coutinho does arrive at the Nou Camp, it leaves the door open to a potential swap deal between the two clubs if Jurgen Klopp is convinced that the Croatian international can adapt and suit to his style of play. Rakitic has shown throughout his playing career on how versatile he can be. But filling up Coutinho’s boots at Merseyside would be a big ask, even for someone as experienced as the Croatian midfielder.

During his time at Barcelona, Rakitic has made a total of 177 appearances compared to Coutinho’s  190 appearances for the Reds. The Croatian has scored 26 goals and made 26 assists while the Brazilian has 46 goals and 40 assists to his name.

Going by the numbers, it is evident that both players have been key to their team’s success. But Coutinho has been more productive and creative for Liverpool than Rakitic for Barcelona.

So a possible cash plus player deal for Coutinho may suit both clubs going into the future with Barcelona keen on tying down Coutinho as a direct replacement of Neymar and Liverpool strengthening their squad with the money generated from the sale of the Brazilian.

Rakitic looks like he can definitely improve the Liverpool squad but whether the Croatian can overcome his recent injury problems remains to be seen.

Meanwhile, Coutinho came back from injury and played 68 minutes for Brazil as his side secured a 0-0 draw against England at Wembley on Tuesday night.

After initially missing out on a few matches due to a back problem, the 25-year-old has been successfully reintegrated into Klopp’s starting eleven.

The Brazilian’s transfer request was rejected by Liverpool in the summer. However, many sources believe that his relationship with the club has the possibility to become strained once more with the Catalan club ready to return with a mammoth bid of £106m in January.