Today there are widespread (if less than reputable) reports that Philippe Coutinho has agreed to terms with Barcelona, if only the clubs can agree on a fee. And because numbers make this sort of thing seem less made up than it is, Liverpool are allegedly asking for €90 million (roughly £76 million).
If our beloved magical unicorn is truly on his way out the door, he certainly isn’t acting like it. In collecting an award for Liverpool’s Player of the Season on Monday night (an award, which must be said, seems premature), he said, “One day I hope I can win as many trophies for Liverpool as players in the past did.”
Cool. You only have about 41 trophies to go. But who’s counting?
Even if Coutinho did want to bail for greener pastures, there’s still the sticky issue of him being under contract until 2022. His new contract, penned in January, does not include a release clause.
It’s difficult to see a scenario where Liverpool execs sell Coutinho, even with a record offer incoming. Much like Luis Suarez before him, Phil’s special skill set would be nearly impossible to replace in the transfer market, regardless of funds available.
Anyway, I’m sure we’ll only see several hundred more Coutinho-to-Barcelona stories before the summer is out.