As Liverpool plan to give Coutinho a new contract, we look at the details.
Recent reports in the Liverpool Echo claim that Anfield bosses have opened talks with Philippe Coutinho over a new contract at the club.
The Echo add that Liverpool FC are keen to reward the 24-year-old for his fine form this season, which has seen him score five goals and provide five assists in 15 Premier League games.
Coutinho’s current deal is due to expire in 2020, so the Reds are under no immediate pressure.
However, transfer talk has seen Coutinho heavily linked with Barcelona, per The Mirror, so one suspects Liverpool would like to make a statement by getting the 24-year-old to commit to a long-term future on Merseyside.
Coutinho’s last contract was signed in February 2015, when he doubled his wages to around £70,000 per week, according to The Mirror.
In today’s market, Coutinho could probably justify asking for his pay to be doubled again, especially when you consider that Daniel Sturridge is on weekly wages of £120,000 and Sadio Mane £125,000, as as reported by the Daily Star.
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Coutinho is, without doubt, a more important member of the Liverpool squad than Sturridge, who has become a regular bench-warmer under Jurgen Klopp.