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Supporters are reading a lot into Philippe Coutinho’s Barcelona squad number

Published 18:21 24 Jan 2018 GMT

Darragh Murphy
Supporters are reading a lot into Philippe Coutinho’s Barcelona squad number

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Is that a hint?

Fans reckon that, in handing Philippe Coutinho the No. 14 shirt that had just been vacated by the departing Javier Mascherano, Barcelona are preparing to add Antoine Griezmann to their ranks. It had been suggested that the Brazilian midfielder would wear the No. 7 shirt at the Camp Nou, considering the fact that its previous owner, Arda Turan, left Barca on loan just last week but it's been decided that Coutinho is better suited to the No. 14 shirt. Barcelona have been linked with Atletico Madrid's Griezmann for some time and supporters are of the belief that Ernesto Valverde is reserving the No. 7 shirt for the Frenchman. Griezmann was the subject of interest from several clubs last summer but he decided to remain an Atletico player after the club was hit with a transfer ban, meaning that they would have been unable to replace him until January. https://twitter.com/FCBarcelona/status/956213952110891009?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.joe.co.uk%2Fsport%2Fbarcelona-confirm-philippe-coutinhos-new-squad-number-159157 Well January is upon us and Diego Costa has returned to the Wanda Metropolitano, which means that Atletico are less reliant on Griezmann than they were in the summer. Barcelona are eager to make another marquee signing or two, having already brought Coutinho in for £142 million at the beginning of the month, and Griezmann is top of Valverde's wishlist. "Griezmann plays for another club and we have every respect for the club he's at, which is at Atletico Madrid, where I'm sure he has a lot of things to say," Valverde recently said of the 26-year-old. "We are in the middle of the market at the moment and you always live with lot of speculation. "The club made a very clear statement. If you ask me if Griezmann is a good player, of course he is. "But I've always said the players I like best are all my players." After confirmation of Coutinho's new squad number, fans were quickly convinced that Griezmann's arrival at the Camp Nou was imminent.

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