Barcelona’s £105 million bet on former Liverpool midfielder Philippe Coutinho has not paid off, and so the exit rumours began to swirl. Chelsea are said to be front-runners for the signature of the Brazilian international — transfer ban appeal pending — along with French force Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester United (because why not) as per a recent report/reminder from Catalan newspaper Sport.
#FCB | Las novias de Coutinho https://t.co/emq98y4tUS pic.twitter.com/oQnrTEmNp4
— Diario SPORT (@sport) April 2, 2019
However, the 26-year-old is not giving up that easily. According to Brazilian journalist Marcelo Bechler, known in the country for breaking Neymar’s PSG transfer story, Coutinho does not want to leave the club.
Citing sources close to the player, Bechler claims that Coutinho arrived at Barcelona with his mind set on winning trophies, something that he failed to do at Liverpool (HA-HA). Prior to his arrival in Spain, Coutinho only had a second division title with Brazilian club Vasco, and two cups with Inter Milan on his CV. He is also trying to adapt his game to better fit the team dynamic, and we wish him all the best of luck in that endeavor.
Bullet: dodged!
Sport hoje traz quem poderia se interessar por Coutinho. O que apurei, com fontes próximas ao jogador, é que ele não quer sair do Barcelona. Veio pensando em melhorar seu currículo (tinha apenas 1 título) e sabe que o futebol é feito de altos e baixos. pic.twitter.com/X6jqEJXVFx
— Marcelo Bechler (@marcelobechler) April 2, 2019