Spanish side Barcelona’s interest in Philippe Coutinho is showing no signs of abating. After doing everything they could do in the summer to sign the magical Brazilian, the Catalan giants now want to take the final step and sign him up in the January transfer window.
Latest reports from the Spanish news outlet Don Balon indicate that a deal is most likely to go through in the winter transfer window. The Catalan side is confident that there would be no hiccups this time around.
How different would that be from the summer? Flush with money from the sale of Neymar to Paris Saint-Germain, Barcelona circled Anfield with an intention of landing Coutinho.
It was only the club’s tough stance, thanks to manager Jurgen Klopp’s reluctance to sell his star player, that kept Coutinho at Anfield. Despite their reluctance, there is considerable optimism within the Spanish giants’ hierarchy that a deal is possible in January.
The report even went a step ahead and claimed that Barcelona boss Ernesto Valverde has drawn up a contract for the 25-year-old. It is being reported that he would pen a four-and-a-half-year deal at the Camp Nou on a contract worth £22m per season.
Should that materialise, Coutinho would become the second-highest earner at the club, just ahead of Luis Suarez and behind club icon Lionel Messi.
Just like they did in the summer window, Barcelona are trying every trick in the book to charm the Brazilian. In addition to regular reports coming out of Spain indicating their interest, former club legends keep coming out in support of the move for Coutinho.
One player who has done this in the recent days is former Brazilian great Ronaldinho. He reportedly indicated in his recent interviews that his countryman adorning the Barcelona shirt is something he would love to see.
So, will Liverpool be pressurised into selling Coutinho in January? The chances of Klopp sanctioning a sale midway through the season are very little. He may not stop the Brazilian from moving away at the end of the season but in January, that could be a tough proposition.
What’s your take on this?
