Liverpool are not working on bringing Philippe Coutinho back to Anfield, according to Fabrizio Romano (via Twitter). The Brazilian left Merseyside back in January 2018 to sign for Barcelona in a deal reportedly worth £130.5m.
Since his departure, the Reds have gone on to become European champions and are closing in on their first-ever Premier League triumph, whilst it is safe to say that Coutinho’s career hasn’t gone in the direction he would have hoped when he made the move to Catalonia.
Barcelona loaned the 28-year-old to Bayern Munich at the start of this season and gave the Bundesliga leaders the option to buy the player this summer should they wish to; however, they’re unlikely to exercise that right and it seems as though they will send Coutinho back to Camp Nou (via Bild).
Coutinho has made 76 appearances for Barcelona, scoring 21 times and providing 11 assists, which on the face of it doesn’t read too badly. However, in the eyes of the La Liga giants, he’s clearly not done enough. Since joining Bayern, he has played 32 times, scored nine goals and provided eight assists.
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According to Transfermarkt.co.uk, the player is valued at £50.4m, and if Barcelona were to receive that kind of sum, they would still be at a loss of approximately £80m when you take into account what they paid for him.
TIF Thoughts…
Romano claims the Reds are not considering a move for their former player this summer, and given the way the Reds have progressed, the options they currently have at their disposal and the potential financial impact of the global pandemic, in our view, it feels like the sensible approach.