Rodgers suggests Chelsea were aware of Coutinho before Liverpool move

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Could Liverpool star Philippe Coutinho have ended up at Premier League rivals Chelsea before his move to Inter Milan?

Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers has suggested to The Scottish Sun that Chelsea could have signed Philippe Coutinho when the Liverpool star was back in Brazil.

Neymar was on the books of Brazilian club Vasco da Gama from 1999 to 2008 before making the move to Italian giants Inter Milan.

The Brazil international attacking midfielder joined Liverpool from Inter in January 2013 for a transfer fee reported by BBC Sport to be worth £8.5 million.

The 25-year-old has since developed into a superb footballer and is one of the best players in the current Liverpool team.

Celtic manager Rodgers worked with Coutinho when he was the Liverpool manager, and the former Swansea City boss has suggested that Chelsea could have signed the Brazilian.

Rodgers worked as a youth coach at Chelsea from 2004 until 2008, during which time Lee Congerton – now the Head of Recruitment at Celtic – was a scout for the Premier League club.

The Celtic manager has revealed that Congerton came back from a scouting trip and mentioned Brazilian duo Coutinho and Neymar, who joined Paris Saint-Germain from Barcelona in the summer transfer window.

“When we were at Chelsea we were aware of Neymar and Coutinho,” Rodgers told The Scottish Sun. “Lee came back from a trip and mentioned them.”