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Reputed Sky Sports Pundit Claims Coutinho Will Make The Move To Barcelona

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By Rohan Sengupta

Paul Merson believes Philippe Coutinho will leave Liverpool FC in the summer after Jurgen Klopp spent £75m on Southampton defender Virgil van Dijk. The Reds made the Netherlands international the most expensive defender in the world following the completion of an agreement with the Saints to sign Van Dijk when the transfer window opens on Monday.

Many Liverpool fans are delighted with the capture they see as the final piece of the jigsaw as Liverpool target a first ever Premier League title. Liverpool were linked with a move for Van Dijk in the summer but couldn’t get a deal over the line, while we also managed to keep Brazilian midfielder Philippe Coutinho despite Barcelona’s interest.

After missing out on Coutinho in the summer, it is reported that the Catalan giants are expected to come back in January with an improved offer for the 25-year-old attacker. Klopp insisted that Liverpool won’t be forced to sell Coutinho after their huge outlay on Van Dijk.

“Nobody told me that. I have no information about that. No,” Klopp said on Friday. “We have a good player and we don’t have to sell anybody because of that. So fair play to our owners that they are ambitious and now we have to use the team to grow together.”

However, Merson believes Coutinho will be sold to Barcelona at the end of the 2017-18 season.

“Liverpool spending £75m on Virgil van Dijk means Philippe Coutinho is going to Barcelona, Merson told Daily Star.

“They will wait until the summer but he will go. He’s done enough this season for Barca to come back in for him, and he clearly wants to leave. I think it was a case of them saying to him, ‘Give us one more year and then you can go’.

“At the start of the season I said Liverpool needed Van Dijk more than they needed Coutinho and getting him would make them title contenders.

“But things have changed. Liverpool need Van Dijk. But they need more than that now. City have been so good the bar has been raised for everyone.”

Van Dijk and Coutinho, however, could play together for Liverpool for the first time when we face Merseyside rivals Everton in the FA Cup next Friday.