Liverpool’s Philippe Coutinho could be a goner in the winter window, according to reports in Spain. While the Brazilian stayed back with us in the summer as we were not willing to let him go, Mundo Deportivo (h/t talkSPORT) claims that any club offering £135m for the 25-year-old could have the bid accepted by the Reds.
We all know that Barcelona have been tracking the 25-year-old and had seen a bid of £118m being rejected by the Reds. Coutinho had submitted a transfer request but given that it was so late in the window, it made sense for us to not sell him.
The report from Mundo Deportivo, carried by talkSPORT, claims that we are willing to let go of our talisman for the right amount. Further, there are claims that even Paris Saint-Germain are looking to get in the act of signing Coutinho.
PSG have the money to buy any player they want and setting up a bidding war between Barcelona and PSG would be the ideal situation for us if we want to sell Coutinho.
Although Coutinho favours a move to Spain, it would not be a surprise if he does leave our side in the winter window. This season so far has been far from the best and unless we are close to the top four by the turn of the year, he could push for a move away given that he would want to play Champions League football next season too.
For now, it does seem unlikely that we will sell him before the World Cup in 2018. We did have to fight hard to keep Luis Suarez but the Uruguayan left us to join Barcelona right after the 2014 World Cup.
Coutinho might not be on the same level as Suarez but he could get better playing for a side that is close to winning the league title, also boasting of a number of world-class players.
Neymar could be the deal breaker in the summer, as his friendship with Coutinho will come to the fore unless we turn in some incredible performances before the end of the season.
We would not want Coutinho to go but if we miss out on the Champions League next season, it would be hard to convince him to stay at Anfield.
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