Barcelona could be adding Ivan Rakitic to the deal that could bring Philippe Coutinho to Camp Nou according to reports from Spain.
Diario Gol, via the Mirror, claims that the Spanish giants are prepared to let go of Rakitic as they want to bring Brazilian international Coutinho to their club. Barca had one bid turned down by us recently and the report also claims that we have slapped a £133million price tag on the 25-year-old.
Coutinho was one of our best players last season and looks to be in excellent form although we are just in preseason. He created one goal and scored the other as we defeated Leicester City in the Premier League Asia Trophy. His goal was a piece of brilliance and that is one reason why many clubs are keeping a tab on the former Inter Milan man.
While Jurgen Klopp has stated that he wants to keep hold of Coutinho, the fact that Neymar plays for the Catalan giants is seen as one reason why Barca are trying their level best to bring the Liverpool star across.
Though Barcelona’s earlier bid was rejected, they believe that putting the Croatian Rakitic in the deal could be enough to tempt us to let go of the dazzling midfielder. Coutinho became the highest scoring Brazilian in the history of the Premier League and we expect him to do more for us this season.
Rakitic has had a great time at Barcelona and has often been one of the best midfielders in the country too. The 29-year-old has won it all at Camp Nou and could be looking for a new challenge away from Spain.
While we would love to see Rakitic in a Red jersey, the 29-year-old cannot be used as a makeweight for Coutinho. The Brazilian is one of the best in the world and if we are to win any silverware and become one of the biggest clubs again, we have to keep hold of him.
The 25-year-old is on the cusp of becoming a legend for us and if we end up selling him, no matter what the amount is, there will be a number of fans who will lose all their trust and hope, not only on FSG but also on Klopp.
The German has repeatedly stated that Coutinho is not for sale and we will have to see just how this entire episode plays out.
