Philippe Coutinho wants to join Barcelona this month, and he's willing to take measures to make sure it happens.
According to reports, the Brazilian "believes he has played his last game for Liverpool." He missed his team's 2-1 win over Burnley on New Year's Day, and the FA Cup victory over Everton on Friday night with a "minor thigh injury." The 25-year-old has yet to play a single game this season while the transfer window has been open - in August or so far in January.
Barcelona are reportedly prepared to pay
£140m to get the player this month - despite the fact they're nine points clear at the top of La Liga, and Coutinho would be ineligible to play for them in the Champions League this season. However, they are yet to submit what would be their fourth bid for him, and seem happy to wait on Liverpool to cave-in and sell the unsettled midfielder.
Liverpool are reportedly more open to selling Coutinho now than they were last summer, if Barca submit a "realistic" bid, but they are still in a very strong position in the situation.
https://twitter.com/SportsJOE_UK/status/948610283077099522
Coutinho has four years remaining on his contract, he has no buy-out clause and the club proved that they won't be bullied when they rejected three bids last summer. But they have an unhappy player to contend with, and in an attempt to force the transfer this month, Coutinho is set to miss a trip to Dubai with the Liverpool squad ahead of their Premier League game with Manchester City on January 14.
According to Chris Bascombe, writing in
The Telegraph, Jurgen Klopp's team will fly to the Arab state for a few days break from the British winter, but they won't be joined by Coutinho.
The Brazilian is seemingly getting desperate as he tries to force Liverpool's hand.
https://twitter.com/SportsJOE_UK/status/949290939561979906
According to the report:
- Coutinho will miss the trip as he attempts to force Liverpool to sell him to Barcelona in January.
- The club don't want to lose him this month and will try "for as long as possible" to convince him to stay until the summer, but it feels as though they are "fighting a losing battle."
- Liverpool told Coutinho it is better for him and them if he stays at Anfield until the summer. He can't play in Europe for Barca, but could help Klopp's team progress in Europe and the league.
- The club are open to the idea of agreeing a deal now that keeps Coutinho in England until the end of the season - similar to their transfer with RB Leipzig for Naby Keita. They've even offered Coutinho a "massive pay hike" if he stays for another few months.
- Liverpool would not be surprised if Coutinho doesn't play a game for the club in January even if they can keep hold of him. However, they expect that he would return to the first-team in February, the way he did after the transfer window closed last August. They reason that he will have to regain focus and form if he wants to start for Brazil at the World Cup in June.
Liverpool are in complete control of what happens now, by all accounts, and the club are extremely unlikely to sell Coutinho without Klopp's permission.
Barcelona, meanwhile, seem happy to let relations between the player and the club deteriorate, before swooping with a bid that they hope Liverpool will accept in order to end what has become a distracting situation for those at Anfield. It could be a long month.
