Our worst fears have come true, well, at least according to Mundo Deportivo, as Philippe Coutinho has told Jurgen Klopp that he wants to move to Barcelona.
The Spanish outlet claims that after meetings between Coutinho and the La Liga side, the Brazilian told Klopp that he wants to leave the Premier League side.
The same report further adds that the Catalan giants could include Rafinha Alcantara as part of the deal and the Brazilian is worth €30-€40 million.
This does seem a little troubling to say the least as Barcelona want to keep hold of their other Brazilian superstar, Neymar, and that could happen if they bring in his national teammate and bestie, Coutinho.
Our little magician had only signed a contract extension last season and although that deal did not have a fixed release clause, Barcelona have tried to low ball us by bidding £72million. That deal was swiftly rejected with Jurgen Klopp and the club categorically stated that Coutinho was not for sale (Telegraph).
Coutinho can also be seen as the replacement for Andres Iniesta and the Brazilian certainly did his stock no harm with his performances in the Premier League Asia Trophy. Coutinho was the star of the final as he played a hand in both goals and if he does move to Barcelona, he would be playing behind three of the best strikers in the world – Messi, Suarez, and Neymar.
The Brazilian is key to our chances of picking up silverware this season and losing out on him would send us back a couple of years in terms of building a quality team. We have added the likes of Mohamed Salah and Dominic Solanke to add more finishing power to our attack but Coutinho is still the player that can unlock defences in a blink of an eye.
The 25-year-old is the highest scoring Brazilian in Premier League history and is still in the prime of his life. We cannot lose him at all, irrespective of what Barcelona decide to pay. However, every player has a price in this day and age of football. So if Coutinho does leave, we should get close to £100million for him and possibly bring Suarez back to Anfield.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w3H4I1LBzGs
