Barcelona looking to offload Phillipe Coutinho as financial woes worsen - Reports
Barcelona's financial worries continue and the club may have to sell record-signing Phillipe Coutinho in order to steady the ship. The club has taken a major hit due to the pandemic this year.
The Brazilian joined Barcelona from Liverpool in 2018, for a fee that could rise up to £142 million if Coutinho reaches 100 games for the club. Coutinho has had a stop-start career with Barcelona so far, as the midfielder's time has been plagued with injuries.
The Brazilian went out on loan to German champions Bayern Munich last season in search of more playing time, as he had fallen out of favour with former Barcelona manager, Ernesto Valverde.
This season, however, new boss Ronald Koeman seems to have included Coutinho in his plans for the club. The Brazilian has made 12 appearances but has found himself in injury trouble yet again.
Coutinho currently sits on 90 appearances for Barcelona. With the January transfer window around the corner, the club will look to sell him as soon as possible to avoid paying Liverpool a reported £18 million.
As reported by Spanish outlet Sport, Barcelona would be willing to let Phillipe Coutinho leave for £45 million. The Brazilian's contract runs till 2023, but the Catalan club are desperate to get his wages off their books.
Major clearout at Barcelona?
According to Sport, the Blaugrana are looking to offload the Brazilian before the club elects their new president at the end of January. Barcelona infamously let go of many of their senior players during the summer, in order to get their wages off the books.
The likes of Arturo Vidal, Ivan Rakitic and Luis Suarez were all shown the door, as Barcelona found themselves in huge debt. This led club captain Lionel Messi to request a transfer but the Argentine's demand was swiftly rejected by the club.
Barcelona will reportedly look to repeat the clear out this season as well. Along with Coutinho, the club is ready to sanction loan moves for Junior Firpo, Riqui Puig and Samuel Umtiti, in order to decrease their massive wage bill.
The players will concede up to £112 million in wages as compared to last season after agreeing to pay cuts due to the pandemic. The club's latest financial figures show the club suffered an £88 million loss and had fallen into a £440 million debt as of June 2020.