Barcelona are reportedly struggling to sell Philippe Coutinho.
According to Marca, Barcelona are struggling to find a club to sign playmaker Philippe Coutinho for their €80million (£72.5million) asking price.
It’s claimed that Bayern Munich hold a €120million (£109million) purchase clause in Coutinho’s loan spell at the Allianz Arena, but currently have no plans to pay it.
That leaves Barcelona scrambling for a buyer, but clubs allegedly aren’t willing to pay such a huge price for the Brazilian – even with Chelsea, Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur believed to be keen.
This comes just over two years since Barcelona agreed a staggering £146million deal with Liverpool for Coutinho, and it’s a decision that looks more and more like an absolute masterstroke as time passes.
At the time, selling Coutinho wasn’t an easy decision; the Brazilian had been a star under Jurgen Klopp, and racked up seven goals and six assists in 14 Premier League games before his exit.
Liverpool maybe haven’t replaced Coutinho’s flair, playmaking ability or long-range shooting, but they would have never seen that kind of money again – and it helped completely change Liverpool.
The money for Coutinho essentially helped Liverpool go and buy Virgil van Dijk and then Alisson, two vital players who have taken Liverpool from a very good team to a truly elite team.
Just two years on, nobody will sign Coutinho for half of what Liverpool received for him. That goes to show the path the playmaker is now on, and Barcelona will clearly be taking a huge loss on him when they do get rid.
Liverpool fans must now be delighted with the nine-figure fee they received for Coutinho, believing that it actually helped the club move forward whilst Coutinho himself seemingly suffers a real decline.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
