For more than half a year, Liverpool fans have been reading stories claiming Philippe Coutinho is heading for the Anfield exit door. Is a conclusion finally coming to rumours linking the Brazilian to Barcelona? Well, Coutinho’s long-anticipated move to Barcelona has been confirmed- accidentally on Nike’s official website (h/t Independent).
The Liverpool playmaker was the subject of three bids from the Spanish heavyweights in the summer and even handed in a transfer request in order to try and push through a move but the Reds held firm and Coutinho remained at Anfield.
But the noises coming from Barcelona since the conclusion of the summer window have suggested they will come back for the 25-year-old in January with an improved offer, well above £100m. And Barcelona’s kit sponsor, Nike, appeared to jump the gun on the transfer with a post on their website advertising their 2017/18 shirt with Coutinho’s name on the back.
An advertisement for the Barca shop proclaims Coutinho is “ready to light up Camp Nou” and calls him “the Magician”.
The headline reads: “Where the magic happens”.
It then says: “Philippe Coutinho is ready to light up Camp Nou. Get your 2017/18 FC Barcelona kit with the Magician’s name on it. Act fast – free personalisation only available until January 6.”
The post has since been taken down by Nike but it only further fuels the belief the deal is imminent in the January window rather than in the summer. The timing of the Nike-Coutinho leak seems to be perfect as it comes days after Liverpool signed Virgil van Dijk.
Should Coutinho make the switch to Spain, Liverpool are expected to amass around £100million for their South American playmaker.
However, after Liverpool splashed out £75m on Van Dijk this week, Jurgen Klopp insisted that it was neither because he was already spending money from selling Coutinho nor that he would have to balance the books by selling the playmaker after signing the defender.
“Nobody told me that. I have no information about that. No,” Klopp said on Friday. “We have 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.”
What’s your take on this? Do you think Coutinho will stay with us until the summer?
