Barcelona will not make a move for Philippe Coutinho next summer as he would not fit into their current system, according to Sky Sports’ Spanish football expert Guillem Balague.
The Brazilian has been in dazzling form this term, central to Liverpool’s mightily impressive start to the season, with six goals and six assists in twelve games.
Unsurprisingly, his performances have caught Barcelona’s eye, with a big-money move, reportedly the 24-year old’s boyhood dream, mooted.
Respected pundit Balague, though, has dismissed such speculation, given that Neymar currently occupies his preferred position on the left of a front three, and also claims the player simply isn’t ‘glamorous’ enough to arouse Real Madrid’s interest.
“Last time I spoke about Coutinho a few months back, I thought he wasn’t ready for Barcelona or Real Madrid,” he wrote in his Sky Sports column. “I can now see that he is the most talented player at Liverpool, he’s performing regularly, and is scoring. Yes, he is getting to that level where either Barca or Real can come for him.
“He needs a bit more glamour for Real Madrid to have big, big interest. For Barcelona, they need to decide what to do with Arda Turan, and then they have to decide whether a player like Coutinho fits in that team.
“The problem with Coutinho as a No 10, he hasn’t got a place in a Barcelona 4-3-3. He has to play wide, or play deeper, but that isn’t his role, so it’s difficult to find a place for him.
“Let’s see who the manager is at Barcelona next season, or if Luis Enrique continues, but certainly he would be so expensive that I couldn’t see Barca coming in for him just yet. At the moment, neither of them are in the equation, but let’s see how things progress.”
Balague’s comments will no doubt ease the fears of Reds fans, with the mighty attacking triumvirate of Coutinho, Roberto Firmino and Sadio Mane steering the team to the top of the table in spectacular fashion.
Liverpool have reportedly slapped an eye-watering €75 million price tag on Coutinho to ward off any potential interest.
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