Reports: Neymar advises superstar to reject Barcelona
What’s the story?
Neymar has already left Barcelona in a terrible shape following his world record move to Paris Saint-Germain earlier in the month and it seems the Brazilian is not done yet with the club.
According to Brazilian newspaper Estadao (via Mirror), Neymar has advised Barcelona's top target, Philippe Coutinho, to not join the Camp Nou outfit and instead stay at Liverpool.
Here is what the Brazilian has reportedly told his national teammate: "Neymar told Coutinho in a conversation between the two that he would not regret Liverpool's decision to keep him away from Barcelona.”
In case you didn’t know…
Neymar completed his world record €222m move to Paris Saint-Germain earlier in the window, a move which shocked the entire footballing fraternity, while also casting a doubt on the chances of Barcelona to compete at the very top.
The Blaugrana have since signed Ousmane Dembele for a club record fee of €105m plus add-ons, however, as was confirmed by their sporting director Roberto Fernandez, the Camp Nou outfit are still looking at two more additions to the team before the end of the transfer window.
Coutinho has been heavily linked with a move to the Catalan giants, who confirmed earlier in the window that they want to bring him to the Camp Nou. However, Liverpool's reluctance to let go of their prized asset has proved to be a stumbling block in the Blaugrana's pursuit of the Brazilian.
The 25-year-old even handed in a transfer request at Liverpool but the Reds are not ready to allow him to leave in this transfer window.
The heart of the matter
Neymar has already expressed his displeasure towards the Barcelona board after he completed his move to PSG earlier this month. The Brazilian insisted that he was disappointed with the board and claimed that Barcelona deserved a better board than the one they currently have.
Some reports suggest that Coutinho could still move to Barcelona before the end of the transfer deadline.
Also Read: Barcelona's Marlon on the way to Nice
Video
Author's Take
While Philippe Coutinho is undoubtedly a good player, there are doubts if he would fit in the system that Barcelona currently use.
Apart from that, Neymar's counsel for his teammate must force the Brazilian to reconsider his stance and give it a thought whether staying at Anfield might be the best decision for the growth of his career.
Whatever it is, with the transfer window coming to an end in 3 days time, this transfer saga will surely come to a conclusion.