Liverpool 'Alert' to Philippe Coutinho Situation But Would Only Consider Cut-Price Bid

11 July 2019 04:10

​Liverpool could be considering making an offer for Barcelona playmaker Philippe Coutinho, who left Anfield in January 2018, if a report in Spain is to be believed.

The Brazilian joined La Blaugrana for a stunning £142m (including add-ons) after five years with the Reds, in which time he made 201 appearances and scored 54 goals for the club. However, he failed to win any silverware on Merseyside, claiming that he was more likely to earn major honours at Barça once his move to Spain was complete.


Jurgen Klopp's men have twice made the Champions League final since Coutinho's departure, with ​Mundo Deportivo (MD) writing that the playmaker wants a return to the European champions as he looks to force an end to his Camp Nou hell.

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Paris Saint-Germain are believed to also be weighing up a bid for Coutinho, though the player is pushing for a switch back to the ​Premier League, handing ​Liverpool - who MD describe as 'alert to the situation' - an advantage over their French rivals.


Additionally, Klopp and his team will benefit from the current situations at both ​Manchester United and ​Chelsea, who had previously been linked with a move for the Copa America winner.


The Red Devils will struggle to land Coutinho having missed out on ​Champions League football for 2019/20, whilst the Blues cannot bring in any new personnel for the next two windows after being slapped with a ban by FIFA.


MD say only that Liverpool 'might' bid to re-sign Coutinho for a cut-price fee, likening the situation to Barcelona's own interest in bringing back prodigal forward Neymar.

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The report notes that Coutinho is seen as 'untransferable' publicly, but privately ​Barça hope to use him as a 'bargaining chip' or a way to generate funds for Neymar's second coming.

Liverpool have been linked with a litany of high-profile forwards this summer including Coutinho's Barcelona teammate ​Ousmane Dembele and Ivory Coast star ​Nicolas Pepe. However, the party line from the club and well-placed journalists is that the Reds won't spend big money this window.

Source: 90min