Barcelona Transfer News: Philippe Coutinho has told teammates he could well be leaving this summer: Reports
What is the story?
Seleccao ace, Philippe Coutinho is on verge of a possible exit from Barcelona this summer.
According to the reports in Spain, the former Liverpool superstar is considering the idea of leaving the Catalan giants and already told his team-mates about the possible exit.
In case you didn’t know….
After a really good start to life at Catalunya, Coutinho faded away with time. The 26-year-old Brazilian has failed to justify his huge €142 million price tag and looked a shadow of himself in the famous Blaugrana colours.
Since his arrival at Barcelona, in such a short time he has played as a winger, left sided and also right-sided midfielder which exactly summarizes his career for the Catalan side.
In 42 appearances this season, Coutinho has only scored 11 goals and assisted 7 times - which, for a player of Coutinho’s calibre, is well below par. When it comes to La Liga, the Brazilian has only scored four goals and started just over half of the Blaugrana’s league fixtures.
The speculation about his probable departure from the Camp Nou only intensified after Barcelona's demolishing 5-1 victory over Lyon in the UEFA Champions League Round-of-16 stage. The Brazilian midfielder didn’t want to commit his long-term future with the Catalan side after helping them to reach their 12th consecutive quarter-final in the Champions League.
"I came to Barcelona to give my best. I live for the moment. You never know what the future holds. I am happy with my performance today,"- Coutinho said in the post-match interview.
The heart of the matter…
According to a Spanish outlet Sport, Coutinho has told his Blaugrana colleagues that he could well be leaving this summer as he seeks to find a new environment where he can enjoy his life more and regain his long-lost Liverpool touch.
There is a possibility that Barcelona might want to offload the Samba star if a right bid is made because there is a strange clause in Coutinho’s contact which suggests that Barcelona have to pay Liverpool £ 4.4 million every time Coutinho makes 25 La Liga appearances, up to 100 appearances.
What’s Next?
It still remains to be seen whether Coutinho will stay at the Catalan side or chooses to leave for seeking a new environment.
Coutinho is expected to start for Barcelona on Saturday when they will host their city rivals Espanyol at Camp Nou.