Liverpool have reportedly approached Barcelona with an audacious bid to try and bring Philippe Coutinho back to Anfield.
Calciomercato reported that the European champions have offered to take the Brazil playmaker on a two-year loan deal with an option to then purchase the player for £88million.
However, according to Calciomercato, Barcelona are unlikely to approve Liverpool’s initial proposal, especially with the possibility of selling him to Paris Saint-Germain as part of a deal to bring Neymar back to Camp Nou.
Coutinho spent five years at Liverpool before leaving for Barcelona in January 2018 in a £142m transfer, but Calciomercato claimed that he is open to an Anfield return.
If Liverpool are serious about bringing Coutinho back to Merseyside, it would be quite the contradiction of Jurgen Klopp’s recent statement that “I don’t think it will be the biggest transfer window of all time” (via Sky Sports News).
Six weeks on from their Champions League triumph, the Reds’ only summer signing has been teenage Dutch defender Sepp van den Berg from PEC Zwolle for £1.3 million.
In the Reds’ first two pre-season friendlies, some youngsters have put their best foot forward for inclusion in the first team once competitive action begins. Rhian Brewster scored three goals across the wins against Tranmere and Bradford, with Bobby Duncan also netting in the 6-0 win over the former.
Surely its unlikely Liverpool would spend £88m or more on a player to park them on the bench, so Coutinho’s arrival would likely see him start whenever fit.
The 27-year-old endured a difficult season for Barcelona in 2018/19, scoring 11 goals and providing just five assists in 54 appearances for the club, averaging 0.2 goals and 0.09 assists per game.
That was a sharp decline from the 2017/18 season, when he scored 22 goals and registered 14 assists in 42 games for Liverpool and Barcelona, which works out an average of 0.52 goals and 0.33 assists per game.
Coutinho’s struggles last season saw him being jeered by fans at Camp Nou and he also angered some of Liverpool supporters (via GiveMeSport) by the manner in which he tried to force through a move to Barcelona 18 months ago – Calciomercato reported that he paid €10m (£9m) of his own money to accelerate the transfer.
If he were to rejoin the Reds on a two-year loan deal which was then made permanent, it would involve Liverpool spending £88m or more on a player who would be 29 by the conclusion of the loan spell.
The Brazil international was often superb for Liverpool in his time at Anfield, but his subsequent loss of form, the huge fee involved and the potential impediment to the progression of young players would make the £88m loan-to-buy proposal an illogical one.
Liverpool fans, do you think the club’s loan-to-buy offer for Coutinho is a good or bad idea? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below!
