‘This boy is top’ – €71m Barcelona talent talked up by Leicester City’s Brendan Rodgers

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Brendan Rodgers has Leicester City sitting pretty in the Champions League places at the time of writing, and with one eye on a European campaign in 2020/21, the Foxes’ manager has talked up the talents of one of his former charges. 

Barcelona’s Philippe Coutinho is available for €9m on loan or €71m permanently according to Mundo Deportivo cited by The Sun, and Rodgers is a man that knows all about the Brazilian’s talent.

It was Rodgers who took Coutinho to Liverpool, and with a Premier League switch not ruled out by the players agent, Kia Joorabchian, per Sky Sports and cited by MARCA, the Foxes need to be in the mix.

“Philippe was one I knew from my Chelsea days. We tried to get him to Chelsea when he was 14 but he had already committed to Inter Milan. So we talked about him in the summer and kept tabs on him,” Rodgers said on The Beautiful Game podcast and cited by the Daily Mirror.

“Then all of a sudden he became available. At 19 we thought ‘Wow. Right let’s get this boy in!’

“Most people would have probably looked at him and thought he’s not for the Premier League. But what a talent. He intimidates people when he has the ball with his quality.

“It’s sad to see people talk him down at the moment because it hasn’t quite worked [for him]. But this boy is top, and if he comes back to the league he will show that he’s world class.”

Although Leicester are not one of the big names in the English top-flight, with respect, much like Claudio Ranieri before him Rodgers has given the Midlands outfit some cachet and kudos with his penchant for fast-paced, attacking football.

Being able to secure someone like Philippe Coutinho will really put them on the map.

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