According to a recent report by The Daily Express, Spanish La Liga high-flyers Barcelona are said to be scheming the summer sale of Brazilian international star Philippe Coutinho with the Catalan giants said to be willing to take a massive price-cut to move him along. It has been suggested in the report that his current loan deal at Bayern Munich will finish at the end of the current season, at which point the Bavarians will have an option of making his move permanent by paying £102m.
It has been claimed that the Catalan outfit are willing to offload their man for a relatively diminished figure of £77m at the end of his current loan spell, given that that new manager Quique Setien will need funds to make the desired changes to the squad. The tactician is said to be keen on instilling his ideas within the team this summer, and offloading Coutinho is sure to be one of the priorities. The report claims that Premier League outfits Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester United are all interested in the Brazilian attacker’s signature.
What Would Philippe Coutinho Add To A Team?
The Blaugrana initially signed the Brazilian for a considerable fee from Premier League outfit Liverpool in the winter of 2018. Despite arriving at the Nou Camp with massive expectations already placed on his shoulders, the 27-year-old struggled to make an immediate attacking impact. He looked rather ordinary when compared to the rest of the talented Barcelona midfielders.
The former Premier League star is an excellent dribbler of the ball and tends to hit the target from impossible distances as well. The goals he scored for Liverpool over the past few years have displayed just how good a player he is. Also, the fact that the Brazilian has notched up six goals and six assists from 19 Bundesliga games this season for Bayern Munich will be further motivation for any of the suitors.
Assessing The 3 Suitors For Philippe Coutinho: Chelsea, Liverpool & Man United
Chelsea
The Blues have been in the market for attacking options since the end of December, and although they weren’t able to get any deals over the line in January, we expect them to make massive strides on this regard in the summer. Coutinho is capable of playing anywhere across the front-line but is most effective when operating out of the number ten role, just in behind the central striker. Despite Mason Mount’s resurgence, the addition of a top-quality player like Coutinho in the attacking midfield slot would make this Chelsea attack a force to be reckoned with.
Manchester United
The Red Devils have been the victims of multiple long-term injury troubles since the start of the season, and it certainly doesn’t look like things are going to get better anytime soon. Paul Pogba, Marcus Rashford and Scott McTominay – arguably United’s three most influential players on the pitch, have all missed large parts of the season due to injury. While Coutinho probably won’t be able to fill the void left by Pogba (assuming he leaves at the end of the season), the Brazilian’s technical ability make him an excellent attacking option.
Liverpool
The Reds will be making a profit of almost 100% if they’re able to reacquire the Brazilian’s services this summer after Jurgen Klopp took the controversial decision to let the talented Brazilian leave. Although things haven’t gone quite to plan at the Nou Camp for Coutinho, it wouldn’t be surprising to see him linking up with Klopp again soon. The attacker produced an excellent brand of football during his time as a Liverpool player, and a move back to Merseyside could turn out to be the best decision if we are to keep the Brazilian’s career in mind.
