Barcelona winger Philippe Coutinho seems to already have put one foot out of the Camp Nou after failing to have met expectations set by the Catalans.
Barcelona broke the bank last winter after they announced that they had paid Liverpool 120 million euros and completed the signing of Philippe Coutinho. The Brazilian is the most expensive signing in the history of the club, and second most expensive across the history of transfers in world football.
Coming to Barcelona, especially at such a mammoth price tag means that there are a number of sky high standards which need to be adhered to. Unfortunately, stuff has not fallen into place as far as Philippe Coutinho is concerned and Barcelona are open to selling him even at a loss.
Ernesto Valverde has given Coutinho ample chances to feature in the starting eleven and make an impact, but consistency has been a massive issue for him. Ousmane Dembele is a large step above him and most importantly, he links up superbly with Messi and Suarez. Hence, Coutinho’s chances continue to be limited and only keep decreasing by the days.
Manchester United have been thought to be giving the Barcelona winger a way back into the Premier League as they look to bring in a left winger after Alexis Sanchez has miserably let them down. However, Philippe Coutinho has already received a lucrative offer to vacate the Camp Nou dressing room, as per reports.
Hebei Fortune of the Chinese Super League is the team which have been credited with interest in the former Liverpool frontman. The Asians have dealt with Barcelona when they signed Javier Mascherano and are looking to the Catalans for favours now as well. Coutinho will proposedly earn 40 million euros a year, but Hebei want to pay just 60 million for the transfer.
Meanwhile, Barcelona have set a price tag of 105 million euros on the winger and are not ready to incur a loss of more than 15 million euros. Philippe Coutinho’s exit from Barcelona is the best option for the player and club. While he has not settled into Catalonia, Barcelona will free up a large part of the wage and get some cash for transfers.