Barcelona: PSG bid €270 million for Philippe Coutinho
The French champions have put in a shock bid for Philippe Coutinho as they aim to appease Neymar.
Brazil are out of the World Cup after losing 2-1 to Belgium in the quarter-finals, so the upcoming domestic season is now the priority for the players. This had led to rumours forming with Neymar being the main one due to PSG’s poor performance in the Round of 16 last season as well as the interest in his signature from Real Madrid.
Mundo Deportivo are reporting that the Parisian side are after Coutinho, with a bid sent to his agent rather than the club. He has a strong relationship with Neymar which formed during their time together in the national team set-up as they worked their way up through the youth teams to the senior squad. They were the key players for Selecao at the World Cup, and Coutinho was arguably the better of the two.
The Brazilian midfielder only joined Barca from Liverpool for £142 million in January, but he did impress with 10 goals and six assists in 1483 minutes. He was brought in with the intention of replacing Andres Iniesta who has joined Japanese side Vissel Kobe.
His adjustment to the central midfield role isn’t complete because he struggled with the positioning aspect in the build-up stages, and actually looked better in an advanced role. However, it should only be a matter of time before he fits in seamlessly. He appears to be enjoying working alongside top players such as Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez. Therefore, a move away is unlikely.
The domino effect
More from FC Barcelona News
- Barça boss Xavi to get contract extension
- FC Barcelona planning swoop for Arsenal midfielder
- FC Barcelona tracking 20-year-old goal machine
- Lamine Yamal’s involvement causing tension at FC Barcelona
- How can Xavi unlock Joao Felix for FC Barcelona?
Cristiano Ronaldo’s potential move to Juventus is having huge repercussions on the transfer market. PSG are desperate to hold on to Neymar who is likely to be one of the main targets for Los Blancos as they look for another superstar. Therefore, bringing in familiar players is a way to appease him. Whoever Real bring in will need to be properly replaced, which continues the knock on effect.
Juventus are likely to have some departures in order to fund this move as well. Gonzalo Higuain and Paulo Dybala are players who could opt to move on or be forced out. Therefore, some major signings should be happening this summer around Europe.
This summer is likely to be similar to last season because Neymar’s world-record move had a huge impact on the market. Inflation crept in so prices were increased with Barcelona opting to bring in Ousmane Dembele as a replacement. The market revolved around Neymar’s transfer, and it’s likely to be the same, but Ronaldo this time around instead of the Brazilian.
The priority for Barcelona should be to get their business out of the way before prices skyrocket. They also need to focus on keeping their key players, but it does give them flexibility in regards to the players they want to sell. Rafinha and Andre Gomes could both command decent fees.
Next: Paco Alcacer unwilling to force a move away from Barcelona
270 million is a huge amount which could improve the squad significantly as well as being a significant profit on the initial transfer. However, there are a number of reasons why Barcelona can’t afford to let Coutinho go. They can’t afford to sell a key player to PSG two years in a row. He also suits Barcelona’s style and they need him to ease the transition away from Iniesta. Selling him would have a negative impact on Barcelona’s preparations for the new season.