There has been a significant amount of speculation in the last week regarding Philippe Coutinho potentially making a switch from The Premier League to La Liga to join Barcelona from Liverpool. It would arguably be one of the biggest transfer deals of the summer so far if it was to go through but it is still unclear where his future lies.
The Catalan giants are reportedly very confident that they can get a deal for Coutinho over the line, especially if Neymar decides to join Paris Saint-Germain. However, Liverpool have slapped a £133 million price tag on the forward and it is unknown whether this has put Barcelona off any potential deal or not.
The 25-year-old Brazilian enjoyed a superb season at Liverpool last time out and this is likely to only be the start of a huge amount of speculation regarding his future throughout this summer transfer window.
We take a look at why Liverpool’s key man would be a success at Barcelona for many years to come if he makes the decision to join Barcelona
Proven at the highest level
Coutinho has already proven that he can perform at the highest level during his four-year spell at Liverpool so far. During this time, he has made 138 appearances for the club and found the back of the net 34 times, many of which have been spectacular goals.
His best season yet came last time out under the management of Jürgen Klopp. He appeared to flourish under Klopp’s style of play and scored 13 goals in the 31 Premier League appearances he made last season. This led to him being rewarded with a new five-year contract at Liverpool in January. But will this be enough to prevent him departing the club this summer?
Would flourish with world-class talent around him
Despite the fact that the Liverpool squad is full of talent, it does not compare to the squad Ernesto Valverde has at his disposal at Barcelona next season. Coutinho has stood out in a Liverpool side which is full of good players who are not necessarily world-class. So how would he perform in a side where he is surrounded by world-class talent?
He would be able to play alongside the likes of Andrés Iniesta, Luis Suárez, Neymar, Lionel Messi and more. Every player wants to play alongside the best in the business and Coutinho will be no different. His game will soon improve dramatically if he was to play alongside the likes of Messi on a regular basis.
Could fill the Iniesta/Xavi void
Barcelona have recently lost Xavi through retirement after he made over 500 appearances for the club and Iniesta will not be far off now at 33-years-old. There are plenty of other midfield options for Valverde to still choose from such as Sergi Roberto, André Gomes, Denis Suárez, Ikan Rakitić and so on but there is no doubt that Coutinho would take Barcelona’s midfield to another level.
Still time to improve even further
If Barcelona did decide to invest a hefty sum to secure Coutinho’s signature, it would still be a wise investment.
He is still just 25-years-old and has plenty of time to improve his game even further, especially when surrounded by the world-class talent already present at the club. If he was to play for Barcelona as long as the likes of Iniesta have done, then he could be an ever-present figure in the Barcelona midfield for the next decade.
