Barcelona are reportedly considering selling Philippe Coutinho in a desperate attempt to balance their books as the financial effects of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic continue to plague the Catalonian giants.
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Coutinho, 28 joined Barcelona in 2018 from Premier League side Liverpool in a transfer which cost the La Liga champions a staggering £130.5m, as per Transfermarkt.
Despite the South American attacker’s huge transfer two-years ago, Coutinho has since struggled to nail down his position at the Nou Camp which was best demonstrated by the club’s willingness to allow him to leave on a season-long loan to join Bayern Munich last season.
After rejoining Barcelona for the new 2020-21 season, Coutinho has so far featured in just nine La Liga matches, scoring twice and assisting a further two times along the way.
Although the Brazilian appears to have recaptured some of his better form under new manager Ronald Koeman, the 28-year-old’s long-term future continues to be speculated.
According to a recent report from ARA, Coutinho could be set for the Barcelona exit as the club continue to suffer the financial repercussions the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has had.
ARA claim that Barcelona’s willingness to offload Coutinho stems from the impressive breakthrough of teenage sensation Pedri.
Pedri, 18, has emerged as one of the Nou Camp’s brightest talents after already featuring in 16 matches in all competitions since his first-team debut September saw the young Spaniard introduced in place of Coutinho.