Philippe Coutinho, former Liverpool star and current Barcelona winger is now being heavily linked with a move to Manchester United in the summer transfer window.
Coutinho has been linked to a lot of clubs off late with his form dipping and thus being unable to cement a place in the starting XI. According to Spanish outlet AS, Barcelona has reportedly offered Coutinho to United should they offer a deal in excess of £90 million.
Less than 15 months after signing him for $192.7m, Barcelona are ready to sell Philippe Coutinho. pic.twitter.com/UHWwT0YH8J
— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) March 22, 2019
United are definitely in need of a quality winger with Alexis Sanchez proving to be a flop for them, despite having paid a huge sum in wages to lure him away from Arsenal in 2018. And what better way to bolster their side than by adding Coutinho, a proven match-winner in the Premier League, to their ranks!
Sanchez was supposed to be the appropriate winger that United richly needed and to great effect, however that never took off and he has been unable to adjust to life in Manchester, having been injured and witnessing an awful run of form. Phiilippe Coutinho signing over to United will in all likelihood prove to be an ideal replacement for him with United looking to offload Sanchez in the summer.
FC Barcelona bought him for a huge fee reportedly worth €142 million ($170 million), making him the world’s third most expensive player at that time. But life hasn’t been easy for Coutinho there as he has been struggling with form this season, having scored only 4 goals in 26 appearances in La Liga this season. Although he has the support of both the manager and the players, he is yet to come up with the goods.
Valverde has now called for the former Liverpool superstar to take heed from one of his teammates who’s now kept him out the starting XI. He said:
“When I wasn’t playing Dembele everyone asked about him,” Valverde said after the game, as per Marca.
“Now he plays and Coutinho doesn’t and it is the other way around. Coutinho has to work to turn things around.
“He is not happy, but has to fight.”
Supposedly bought as a replacement for the retired great Andres Iniesta, Coutinho certainly did not live up to the expectations of club and fans alike. Hence, the rumor mills continue to churn on stories daily about his future at Barcelona, which at the moment seems to be foggy at best and a return to the Premier League appears to be the ideal move for all parties involved.
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Though, United are not keen to take the bait, unwilling to accept the huge but cut out fees in excess of £90 million. Adding to the fact that Coutinho’s reputation may get tarnished in the process, having been an Anfield player, also makes United a reluctant choice for him.
But he is in his peak years, and at this stage, will certainly prove to be a massive asset for United for the next few years, The addition of Coutinho will essentially invigorate United’s midfield to a huge extent. It remains to be seen whether he stays put with the Catalan giants or makes a move elsewhere, most likely being the English League.
