Philipe Coutinho has been in Spanish club FC Barcelona’s wishlist for two years now, and the increasing reports have suggested that Barcelona’s top players want the Brazilian at Camp Nou ahead of the next season.
The transfer saga began in the summer transfer window when the Catalan club tried their level best to come up negotiations to agree with Liverpool for a price on Coutinho.
However, to much surprise of the fans, the Brazilian did not move away from Liverpool causing widespread tension about his future at the club.
It was reported that Coutinho was interested in joining Barcelona after fellow Brazilian Neymar left the club to join Paris St Germain in August.
Barcelona replaced Neymar with Ousmane Dembele:
The transfer never happened, as Barcelona bought the talented left-footed Ousmane Dembele from German club Borussia Dortmund.
However, according to the latest reports from SPORT, a Catalan based Newspaper the Barca players have made their feelings clear: they want Coutinho.
Ozil as a backup option:
This time around, Barcelona have made the German midfielder Mesut Ozil as a back-up option in case the transfer for the Brazilian does not go according to plans.
Ozil would cost around £20m but would demand a huge wage and signing on fee. Coutinho meanwhile is said to have an agreement with the Liverpool board to move if the fee reaches £132m (€150m).
A Huge transfer window for Barcelona in January:
Three bids from Barcelona was not enough for a move for Coutinho in the summer, as the Merseyside club kept on increasing the price of the midfielder as per the reports in Spain. The players have once again brought the transfer saga to the limelight, as the club stands divided over the transfer of the Brazilian.
It is reported that fellow Brazilian midfielder Paulinho and Barcelona’s No.9 Luis Suarez are pushing for a deal, while Lionel Messi and Javier Mascherano are also keen on getting the Liverpool No.10 on board.
