Liverpool journalist David Lynch says Jurgen Klopp would have to restructure his side to facilitate a return for Phillipe Coutinho.
Spanish publication Sport claimed this week that Coutinho would be available for a fee of just £35million this summer.
That pales in comparison to the £142million Barcelona paid back in 2018 to sign him originally.
‘Coutinho’s dream Barcelona move has been a nightmare’
Coutinho has made 90 appearances for the Catalan giants, scoring 23 goals and assisting 14.
Last season, he joined Bayern Munich on loan with his starting prospects at the Nou Camp limited.
That temporary departure followed hostile receptions from his own fans.
But despite his struggles in Spain, Lynch says that signing the Brazilian for the mooted fee would be ‘absolutely incredible’.
“It says a lot about what’s happened to him since he left Liverpool,” he said on Friday’s episode of the Blood Red podcast. “That was his dream move… but it’s been a bit of a nightmare really.
“It’s no real surprise to see him on the market.
“When you consider the amount of money that changed his hands for him to go the other way, it’s an absolutely incredible deal.
“He’s still got a lot of good years ahead of him.”
‘Coutinho could thrive if Liverpool brought in Haaland’
If Liverpool were to bring in an out-and-out striker like Borussia Dortmund’s Erling Haaland, Lynch reckons Coutinho could thrive as a number 10.
Roberto Firmino has tended to drop deep when he plays through the middle, functioning as a de facto attacking midfielder at times.
“If there was an attacking midfield role being made available to him, that would maybe indicate a shift in Jurgen Klopp’s thinking about the composition of his midfield,” he said.
“Say you brought in Erling Haaland, who wants to be on the shoulder, that does create a space in the number 10 area that Coutinho would really like.”
Coutinho’s decision to hand in a transfer request to fulfill his Barcelona aspirations looks to have been a career-defining mistake.
Liverpool, albeit with the proceeds from the move, have gone onto win the Champions League and the Premier League title, while Barcelona have fallen from grace.
The 28-year-old might welcome the opportunity for redemption at Anfield, but it just doesn’t seem realistic given the circumstances surrounding his departure.