Inter Milan make €15 million bid to sign out-of-form Barcelona star - Reports
Inter Milan have reportedly made a €15 million bid to sign Barcelona star Philippe Coutinho in the January transfer window.
The Nerazzurri are hoping to take advantage of Barcelona’s financial situation by signing Coutinho for a cut-price fee. However, El Nacional claims the Blaugrana are looking to sell the Brazilian for at least €30 million.
Inter Milan are looking to add more strength to their midfield and see Coutinho as the ideal replacement for Christian Eriksen, who will no longer play for the club.
Liverpool FC bought Philippe Coutinho from Inter Milan on this day in 2013. Coutinho played 201 games in 5 years at #LFC, scoring 54 goals. Decent signing that!
#LFChistory_net https://t.co/5Nk54OF0jN
Since his €140 million move to Barcelona from Liverpool in 2018, Coutinho has failed to put in consistent displays for the club.
Considering he is one of Barcelona’s highest earners, selling him could free up the wage bill and add some funds to strengthen other areas of the squad.
Coutinho’s poor spell at Barcelona could end with a return to Inter Milan
Philippe Coutinho had a spell at Inter Milan a while ago when he moved to the San Siro in 2008 as a teenager. However, the Brazilian got his big break at Liverpool.
Coutinho’s impressive five-year spell at Anfield -- from 2013 to 2018 -- earned him a move to Camp Nou, but it’s safe to say he has underperformed there.
Although new manager Xavi still believes the Brazilian can add something to the team, they are perhaps better off without him.
"Coutinho is someone who can play in various positions and he can be important for the team," Xavi said in November. "He needs to re-find himself and recover his confidence. If he does, he will help us a lot. He has an innate talent.
"It depends on him," he added. "He will get chances because he's a player I like personally. It's more psychological than anything because he has talent."
Barcelona want to offload Coutinho, Umtiti, Dest and Luuk de Jong in the winter market. However, it's difficult due to their high wages. Unless there are departures, Ferran Torres and Cavani cannot be signed.
— @Luis_F_Rojo via @marca
At 29, Coutinho still has a lot of football left in him and perhaps he needs a fresh start to resurrect his career.
A move to the Italian Serie A could be beneficial as the style might suit him. The versatile attacker has been injury-prone in recent seasons and will hope for a healthier few seasons ahead.