We can always tell when the Liverpool contingent pays us a visit at The Transfer Tavern, with spontaneous renditions of ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone’ a regular occurrence when hosting the lads from the north west.

We love hosting the passionate bunch, and debate rages long into the night between fans and our landlord as to the direction of Liverpool’s season, as well as their future transfer targets.

As soon as the clock struck midnight on New Year’s Eve the debate took a new turn, with the transfer window open for business and everybody keen to make their claim as to who manager Jurgen Klopp should turn to this month.

The issue of the future of Philippe Coutinho was skirted around until brought to the attentions of our landlord, who raised the valid point that the Barcelona target could be on his way to Catalonia in the coming weeks.

Fans would love to keep the gifted midfielder, but the club would be mad not to accept a mega-money offer for the player for the following two reasons…

Cash

Recent reports have suggested the Reds have placed a £160 million price-tag on the Brazilian’s head, and if an offer in this region were to materialise, Liverpool would be mad to turn down such an astronomical fee.

£160 million is enough to turn this Liverpool side from top-four contenders to title hopefuls if manager Jurgen Klopp learns from the mistakes of his predecessors and invests in the correct areas.

Such a fee could overhaul his questionable defence which has already been bolstered by the world-record signing of Virgil van Dijk from Southampton, and allow the German to buy the world-class goalkeeper the Reds have lacked since Pepe Reina departed the club.

Klopp could even have change to unearth a Coutinho replacement, with Liverpool fans sure to remember the player costing less than £10 million from Inter Milan in 2013.

Coutinho is a fantastic player who adds a lot to this Liverpool side, but this unit is no one-man team.

Sell Coutinho and reinvest well, and Liverpool could genuinely end their long wait for a top-flight title.

He’s no Luis Suarez

When Suarez left for Barcelona, Liverpool fell to pieces for a variety of reasons.

The club were effectively a one-man team when the Uruguayan was in the squad, and his loss was perhaps the biggest blow the club have encountered in the past twenty years.

His goals were essential to Liverpool’s title push under Rodgers, who squandered the money gathered from his sale on a whole host of massive flops.

Coutinho is a fantastic player, but Liverpool now have the players to counter the loss of the inspirational midfielder.

Sadio Mane, Mo Salah and Roberto Firmino have all impressed this season, and stepped up at the start of the campaign whilst Coutinho was out with a back injury.

Having proven they can survive without the player with the players currently at the club, Liverpool would be mad to turn down a monster offer for the player this month.

Liverpool fans, would you allow Coutinho to depart this month? Have your say below…