Rumour Mongering: Liverpool On Philippe Coutinho Alert

The papers in Spain think Coutinho could be heading back to the Reds. That doesn’t seem likely.

It’s only been about 18 months since Philippe Coutinho got his dream move to Barcelona, the one he wanted so desperately that the great sadness at not getting it six months earlier threw out his back and forced him to miss the club’s Champions League qualifiers.

In addition to throwing out his back something awful, his great sadness also forced him to put in a transfer request before the start of the season after having committed to Jürgen Klopp for the 2017-18 campaign. His representatives then dragged Klopp in the press.

Now, according to Mundo Deportivo, the player is suffering through another great sadness of sorts and desperate to leave Barcelona. A move to Paris Saint-Germain, perhaps as a makeweight for Neymar, has been suggested, and Coutinho is said to be open to it.

However, Coutinho’s preference would be a return to England. And with Chelsea ruled out due to a transfer ban and Manchester United ruled out due to Coutinho previously ruling them out, Mundo Deportivo think the only possible English destination is Liverpool.

They say, even, that Liverpool are currently “on alert” for Coutinho, and for the right price—aka a decent chunk less than Barcelona paid for the now 27-year-old—it’s possible a deal could be done. To say that we don’t see it happening would be an understatement.

Still, it’s clear that if Barcelona get the deals they want done, bringing in Antoine Griezmann and Neymar, they will need to raise funds and that Coutinho, one of their few potentially saleable players with much value, would see his minutes limited if they signed.

It’s also clear the potential destinations for Coutinho would be very limited—particularly if one rules out Chelsea and United. Still, given how his move to Barca went down and what he would still cost, we can’t imagine Liverpool would consider moving for him.

Source: liverpooloffside.sbnation.com