If you thought this tedious transfer saga would be paused until the summer, you were wrong.
The January transfer window has only just opened, but Philippe Coutinho is already being linked with a move to Barcelona.
Earlier this week, Nike posted a link on its website to Barcelona jerseys with Coutinho's name printed on the back, saying that the 25-year-old is "ready to light up Camp Nou."
It appears Coutinho's mind, as well as his jersey, is also in Barcelona. According to Paul Joyce, writing in
The Times, the midfielder still has his heart set on leaving Liverpool for the Catalan club. He "wants to leave in this window", five years after he joined Liverpool from Inter Milan for £8.5m.
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According to the
report:
- Coutinho "believes he has played his last game for Liverpool" and is already "preparing to quit the club."
- It will take an offer of around £133m (€150m) for Liverpool to consider selling him this month.
- Coutinho and Barcelona are said to believe that it is significant that Liverpool have not publicly stated that he is not for sale.
- "Liverpool’s public refusal to recommit to their stance of the summer when the player was not for sale at any price has raised Coutinho's hopes he can finally make a move to the Nou Camp."
The report claims that the ball is firmly in Barcelona's court, and the next move in the transfer saga depends on them, and whether they submit a fourth bid for Coutinho.
Liverpool rejected all three bids from the club for Coutinho last summer. The final bid was worth a potential £118m, but £36m of that would only have been triggered if Coutinho reached certain milestones, such as winning the Ballon d'Or. The report claims it will take "an improved overall offer, and a more realistic package, to start a conversation with Liverpool."
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Barcelona are nine points clear at the top of La Liga, and if they sign Coutinho this month he won't be eligible to play in the Champions League this season. So, it could be argued that it wouldn't make much sense to go to such lengths to get the player now, and not just wait until the summer. Liverpool also need Coutinho for the knockout stages of the Champions League and in their quest to finish in the top four of the Premier League. A summer move probably makes an awful lot more of sense for all parties.
The midfielder missed Liverpool's 2-1 victory over Burnley on New Year's Day with a "minor thigh injury." He has yet to play a game for Liverpool this season when the transfer window has been open, and is expected to miss Friday's FA Cup tie against Everton.
