According to the Mirror, Philippe Coutinho might agree to complete the season for Liverpool before finally making his dream move to Barcelona next season. Recent reports have emerged that Barcelona have been preparing another bid for the Brazilian international in the January transfer window.
The Catalan giants were heavily invested in obtaining Coutinho’s services after the big money exit of Neymar to Paris Saint-Germain. They had placed 3 bids for the 25-year old in the summer of 2017 and saw all their bids get rejected. Facing heavy reluctance from Liverpool, Barcelona decided to prioritize the signing of Dortmund winger, Ousmane Dembélé.
Coutinho was very pleased to hear about the transfer offer but was left disappointed when none of it materialised. After the 2nd bid got rejected, he tried to force his way out of the club by submitting a transfer request to the club officials. Barcelona was a dream destination that he has been eyeing for a long time now.
The Brazilian has always taken the ambitious route in his career and succeeded. After failing to break into the first team of Inter Milan, he opted for a move away from the club. He chose Liverpool over Southampton and established himself as the best player for the side in the past 4 seasons.
He has appeared 195 times for the Merseyside club and scored on 51 occasions along with 44 assists. He has fallen behind Eden Hazard, Riyad Mahrez and N’Golo Kanté in winning the PFA Player of the Year award in the last 3 seasons. Experts might tie this conundrum to the failure of winning the league by Liverpool in recent times.
Already well into the peak of his career, Coutinho is ready to play for a European superpower and start collecting silverware under his name. After Jurgen Klopp’s appointment as Liverpool manager, the Reds have consistently pushed for the league title with a return to the top 4 last season. However, they are still lowly stacked and are finding it hard to match the firepower of league leaders Manchester City.
Coutinho’s technical abilities and artistry with the ball made it inevitable that a call-up to a European powerhouse would come sooner rather than later. A move to Barcelona would be a perfect opportunity for the versatile attacking midfielder to link up with Lionel Messi and his former team-mate Luis Suarez in the final third.
An ageing Andrés Iniesta and lack of quality from their recent signings, the Catalan side are looking for possible replacements for the future. Coutinho is aware of the needs of the club and they might not wait around forever to attain his services. His demands are a good ploy to settle the entire saga peacefully. Having for the rest of the season will be greatly beneficial for Jurgen Klopp along with a considerable amount of time to find a replacement next season.
